KNTltAIsCE     TO      THE      GOLDEN      GATE. 


CALIFORNIA    LIFE 


ILLUSTRATED. 


BY    WILLIAM   TAYLOR, 

OF    THE    OALIFOKNIA    CONFERENCE, 

AUTHOR    OF    "SEVEN    YEAES1    STEEET    PEEACHING    IN    SAN 
FRANCISCO"   AND    "ADDEESS   TO   YOUNG  AMERICA.1' 


When  a  traveler  returneth  home,  let  him  not  leavo  the  countries  where  he 
hath  traveled  altogether  behind  him. — LORD  BACON. 

Then  shalt  thou  lay  up  gold  as  dust,  and  the  gold  of  Ophir  as  the  stones  of 
the  brooks.— JOB  xxii,  24. 


SIXTEEN    ENQRAVINQS. 


PUBLISHED  FOE  THE  AUTHOR, 

BY   OAELTON  &   PORTER,    200  MTJLBERRY-STREET. 
1858. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1858,  by 
D.    L.    ROSS, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Southern  District  of 
New-York. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTEK  I. 

MISSIONAKY  LIFE. 

First  View  of  California  Coast  —  Entrance  through  the  Golden  Gate  — 
"Let  go  the  Anchor" — Lassoing  a  Bullock  —  Wonderful  California 
News  by  Mr,  M.  —  Prices  —  Wages  —  Gold  —  Gamblers — One  Church 
and  that  a  Jail  —  One  Preacher  and  he  a  Gambler — First  Impressions 
of  San  Francisco  —  The  Canvas  City  —  Vain  Search  for  Methodists  — 
"  No  such  Creatures  in  the  Place"— Bark  Hebe,  Captain  Stetson— His 
Men  left  to  the  Mercy  of  the  Patagonian  Indians  —  Their  Eescue  — 
J.  H.  Merrill  — "Brother  Finley"— John  Troubody— Father  White's 
Family  —  Shanty  with  Blue  Cover — First  Sermon — First  Class-Meet 
ing—Its  Peculiarities  —  Palmer  J.  Whiting,  the  Shepherd  Boy  — Our 
Oregon  Chapel  —  No  House  for  the  Preacher — Captain  Otis  Webb,  the 
noble  Outsider — John  B.  Seidenstricker  —  His  Dreams  and  Hardware 
—  Collins  and  Cushman  —  Life  in  the  Eedwoods —  Preacher  building 
a  House  —  Carpenter's  Wages — Home  —  Eats — Garden — "  Greens  fifty 
Cents  a  Fork" — Chickens — Milk  —  Egg  Currency  —  Cheap  Cow — 
Hard  Winter,  etc PAGE  13 

CHAPTEE  H. 

MISSIONAEY  LIFE  — CONTINUED. 

Oregon  and  California  Mission  Conference  —  The  Superintendent  — 
Gambler's  Donation  —  Preacher  taken  down  by  a  Stage  Actor — Cap 
tain  Gelson  — Church  Lots  out  of  Town  — Dedication  of  First  Method 
ist  Episcopal  Church  — Eev.  William  H.  Hatch  "in  the  Lurch"— Bal- 


6  CONTENTS. 

timore  California  Chapel  —  Early  Church  Organizations,  and  Pioneer 
Missionaries  —  Eevs.  T.  D wight  Hunt,  0.  C.  Wheeler,  S.  "Woodbridge, 
(Where  is  the  Capital  of  California?)  J.  W.  Douglass,  S.  H.  Willey, 
Alfred  Williams,  J.  A.  Benton,  Drs.  Vermehr  and  Mines  —  Stranger's 
Friend  Society  —  Charity  Hospital  —  City  Fathers  —  Sacrifice  of  City 
Property —  San  Francisco  Bible  Society  —  Colonel  M'Kee,  Indian  Agent 
—  Number  of  Indians  in  California — Their  Colonization PAGE  52 

CHAPTEE  III. 

MISSIONARY  LIFE  —  CONTINUED. 

First  Quarterly  Meeting — Salary  of  Preacher  —  Eev.  J.  Doane  —  First 
Preaching  to  the  Gamblers — Infant  Society  —  Its  Peculiarities  —  Scar 
city  of  Females  —  The  Pioneer  Family  —  Alfred  Love  and  the  Grizzly 
Bear — Specimen  Members  of  our  First  Society:  John  Troubody,  Wil- 
let  M'Cord,  L.  F.  Budd,  (who  wouldn't  rent  his  House  to  a  Rum-seller,) 
Alexander  Hatter,  J.  B.  Bond,  D.  L.  Ross,  R.  P.  Spier,  W.  H.  Cod- 
dington,  (the  Sabbath-keeping  Butcher,)  Robert  Beeching,  (the  Musi 
cian  who  wouldn't  play  for  thirty  Dollars  per  Night,)  Isaac  Jones, 
(who  would  rather  starve  than  set  Type  on  Sunday)  —  Early  Local 
Preachers  —  Exhorters  —  Class-leaders  —  Second  Class  organized  — 
First  Sunday-school— First  Watch-meeting  —  Arrival  of  "the  Meth 
odist  Company"  —  Their  Shipwreck  in  the  Bay  —  Calvin  Lathrop  — 
Wheeling  Firewood  — The  "Darkey"  who  struck  the  Gold  Lead  in 
"Negro  Hill." 77 

CHAPTER  IY. 

MISSIONARY  LIFE  — CONTINUED. 

First  Visit  to  Sacramento  City  — Band  of  Elk  — Dr.  Grove  W.  Deal  — 
Rev.  Isaac  Owen  —  Sufferings  of  his  Family  —  Rev.  James  Corwin  — 
Preaching  in  the  Baltimore  California  Chapel  — Flood  of  Waters  —  City 
Submerged  —  Chapel  swept  from  its  Foundations  —  Stock  drowned  — 
Liberality  of  Steamboat  Companies  —  "Mules  not  Preachers"  —  Rev. 
Mr.  Owen's  Family  driven  by  the  Flood  to  San  Francisco  — "  Sister 
Merchant "  —  Presiding  Elder  at  a  Washtub  —  The  smoking  Preacher 
who  wouldn't  help  his  Wife  — J.  Bennett  —  First  Visit  to  San  Jose  and 


CONTENTS.  7 

Santa  Cruz  —  "  In  the  Mud"  —  Early  Settlers  of  San  Jose*  —  First  Itin 
erant  Horse  —  His  "  ups  and  downs"  —  Asa  Finley  —  Chicken  for  Bre.  lo 
fast  —  California  Shepherd  Dogs  —  Mountain  Scenery — First  Chun 'i 
Arbitration  —  First  "Protracted  Meeting"  in  Santa  Cruz  —  Lost  in  the 
Night  —  Waked  up  the  Indians  —  Prayed  with  the  Gamblers  —  A  Night 
with  the  Hunters  —  Eeturn  Home. PAGE  104 

CHAPTER  Y. 

MISSIONAEY  LIFE— CONTINUED. 

"A  Screw  loose"  with  Sister  Merchant  —  She  claims  the  Preacher's 
House — Lights  and  Shades  of  Insanity  —  Daniel  Webster's  Private 
Secretary  in  the  Hospital  —  Insane  Asylum  in  Stockton --Preacher's 
Trunk  broken  open  hi  Daylight  —  "He  fell  on  his  Knees  and  begged 
us  to  kill  him  "  —  Itinerant  Horse  eating  Hay  at  fifteen  Cents  a  Pound  — 
"Book  Concern  of  the  Pacific "  — Death  of  Rev.  Mr.  Owen's  Daughter 
—  Eev.  William  Roberts— Death  of  William  H.  Stevens  — "Daddy's 
dead,  and  I  don't  know  what  to  do  with  him" — Dr.  Deal  in  the 
Legislature  —  New  Church  —  Horse-race  —  Shark-catching — Hospital 
Scenes  —  Clearing  the  Track  for  old  Grizzly  —  Quarterly  Meeting 
in  Santa  Cruz  —  "The  Stranger  taken  in"  —  Arrival  of  Missionaries 
from  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South  —  Two  Methodist  Organi 
zations  —  J.  D.  Hoppe  —  Birthday  Reflections 132 


CHAPTER-  VI. 

SOCIAL  LIFE  IN  CALIFORNIA. 

Its  Nature  and  essential  Conditions — The  latter  wanting  —  Adam's  sin 
gle  Wretchedness —  His  ten  thousand  California  Sons —  Tearful  Adieus 

—  Telescope  of  manifest  Destiny  —  Initiation  of  "  Green-horns"  —  Cali 
fornia  Lodging-house  —  Bunks  —  Third  Plague  of  Egypt — Blanket* 
passed  round  —  Rev.  Mr.  Trumbull  and  the  Fleas  —  Ranches — Social 
Life  "dried  up"  —  Why? — Despondent  ones  —  Mr.  P.'s  Bonnets  — 
Men  didn't  want  them — Hole  in  Captain  Wooley's  Pocket  —  Money 
leaked  out  —  Shanty  robbed  —  Dog-days — "Every  Dog  has  his  Day" 

—  S.  S.  dying  on  the  Sand-hill  —  H.  S.  in  the  Station-house  —  Substi 
tutes  for  Wives,  Sisters,  and  Daughters  —  The  Harmonious  Family  — 


8  CONTENTS. 

Social  Life  superseded  by  Excitement— Excitants— Ordinary  and  Extra 
ordinary—  Prices  —Wages  — "  Big  Lumps,"  etc.— Tippling  —  Gambling 

—  Great  Ventures  —  House  of  the  strange  Woman  —  Soiree  —  Temple  of 
Virtue — Sunday  Amusements — The  Mission — Buss's  Garden  —  Oakland 
Horse-racing  —  Bear  and  Bull-fighting — Specimen  of  Ethics  —  Duel 
ing PAGE  161 

CHAPTER  VII. 

SOCIAL  LIFE  —  CONTINUED. 

Sunday  Traffic  —  Liberal  Catholic  —  Excursions  —  Dog-fight  —  Going  to 
Heaven  by  Steamboat—  "  The  Sagamore"  —  Her  Explosion  —  Horrible 
Tragedy — Philip  Groves  —  Fandangoes  —  Circuses,  Monkey  Shows,  etc. 

—  Excitants    extraordinary  —  Political    Mass-meetings,    etc.  —  Lynch 
Law  —  Ship  Challenge  —  Captain  W.'s  "  Persuader"—"  New  Diggings" 
— "  Gold  Bluffs"— Pacific  Mining  Company  —  Gold  by  the  Ship-load  — 
Dr.  H.  on  "Short  Allowance" — Letters  from  Home  —  Joseph  Stocker 

—  Bachelors  — Written  Order  for  a  Wife  — Courting  by  Proxy  — Mar 
riage  on  Sight  —  Disproportion  of  the  Sexes  —  Great  Evil  —  Men  newly 
Eigged— D.  0.  Shattuck's  Family  on  the  Wreck  of  the  "  North  Amer 
ica" —  Arrival  of  Families  and  betrothed  Ones  —  Disappointment  and 
Agony — Variety  of  touching  Scenes 184 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

HOSPITAL  REMINISCENCES. 

Depot  of  Death —  Preacher  begging  to  see  his  dying  Brothers  —  The  old 
Tar—  "  Pay  Booms  "— "  Lower  Wards  "  —  Careless  Nurses —Dreadful 
Mortality  —  Prevailing  Disease  —  "Dead  Cart"  —  Captain  Lock  — 
Sleeping  with  Corpses  —  "Foul  Play  with  the  Dying"  —  Captain 
Welch  refusing  to  have  his  Leg  cut  off — John  Purseglove  scrambling 
away  from  Death —  Charity  of  the  Church  —  Free-Masons  —  Odd-Fel 
lows —  Scurvy  Patients  —  Medicine  from  the  Sand-hills  —  Grateful 
Spaniard  —  Hopefulness  and  Hopelessness  of  Death-bed  Repentance — 
Variety  of  Scenes  given  for  Illustration  —  Hospital  Improvements  — 
United  States  Marine  Hospital  —  Doctor  M'Millen  —  Preaching  in  the 
Dining-room  —  Conversion  of  J.  H.  Perry 217 


CONTENTS.  9 

CHAPTEE  IX. 

EXTENT  AND  EESOUECES  OF  CALIFOENIA. 

Former  Ideas  of  "Californy" — Impression  of  early  Emigrants  —  Vast 
Desert  —  Adventurous  Farmers  —  Potato  Mania  like  Gold  Fever  —  John 
had  "  no  Idea  the  World  was  so  big  " —  Comparative  Extent  of  California 

—  Agricultural  Eesources  —  Statistical  Exhibit  of  Products  in  1856  — 
"Some  Punkins"—  Three  Dollar  Apple— Fruit   and  Fruit  Trees— 
Grapes— Live  Stock  — Wild  Game— Fisheries— Lumber  Business  — 
Number  and  Cost  of  Saw-mills  —  Number  and  Cost  of  Grist-mills  — 
Manufactories  of  various  Kinds  —  Ferries  and  Bridges  —  Mineral  Pro 
ducts  :  Silver,  Copper,  Iron,  Magnetic  Iron,  Platinum,  Chromium,  Gyp 
sum,  Nickel,  Antimony,  Cinnabar,  Bitumen,  Coal,  Marble,  Granite, 
Buhr  Stones,  and  Gold — Discovery  of  Gold,  and  aggregate  Yield  to  the 
present  Tune  —  Various  Modes  of  Mining  illustrated  —  Number  and 
Cost  of  Quartz-mills  — "Eich  Diggins"  —  Length  and  Cost  of  Canals 
and  Ditches—  "  California  Eegister " PAGE  247 

CHAPTER  X. 

LIFE  AMONG  THE  MINEES. 

Industry  of  the  Miners  —  Faith,  Hope,  Energy— "Live  Yankee  Com 
pany" —  «  Good  Prospects"  —  Miner's  Orphan  Boy  —  Not  all  success 
ful  —  Why  ?  —  "  Packing  "  —  "  Prospecting  "  —  Social  Condition— Ef 
fect  of  Female  Influence  —  Moral  Condition — Not  anxious  to  go  to 
Heaven  —  Stage-coach  and  Elijah's  Horses  —  How  they  keep  Sunday  — 
Meetings  and  Laws — Best  Christian  in  the  Mountains  —  Preaching  at 
Long  Bar  —  Old  Captain  wouldn't  pray  —  Congregation  got  drunk  — 
Their  Liberality  —  Preacher  Merchant —  His  back  Door  ajar  on  Sunday 

—  His  Bar— Success  — Eeverses  — Brother  H.'s  Store— Wouldn't  sell 
on  Sunday —  Called  an  old  Fool— "Boys"  advertised  him — Made  his 
"  Pile"  —  Good  Qualities  of  Miners  —  Liberality  —  Contempt  for  mean, 
little  Things  —  The  live  Chicken  Eoaster — His  Sentence  —  Alameda 
Butcher— No  Biota  in  California  as  in  Eastern  Cities  — Eiot  in  Wash 
ington  City  — Murder  of  a  Miner's  Wife  — Murderer  hung  by  Judge 
Lynch  —  Hanging    of  Jenkins  —  Better    Day    coming  —  Freedom    of 


10  CONTENTS. 

Speech — Night  Preaching  in  the  Streets  of  Sonora  and  Jamestown  — 
Opposition  Line  —  Permanence  of  Mining  Operations  —  Success  of  the 
Gospel — Improvement  of  Society  —  Fall  of  the  Gambling  Goliah  — 
Better  Observance  of  the  Sabbath PAGE  277 


CHAPTEK  XI. 

CALIFOKNIA  AS  A  MISSIONARY  FIELD. 

God's  two  leading  Modes  of  Evangelizing  the  World  —  Importance  of 
Foreign  Missions  —  A.  M.  Brown  —  A  Persecutor — Dying  with  Chol 
era  in  Constantinople  —  Picked  up  by  a  Missionary  —  Converted  — 
A  Preacher  —  Sent  to  the  Sandwich  Islands  —  God's  grand  Design  in 
sending  Heathens  to  the  Gospel  —  Success  of  Home  Missions  among 
the  Africans,  Scandinavians,  Germans,  etc.  —  Eepresentatives  of  all 
Nations  in  California  —  Effect  of  Yankee  Civilization —  John  Chinaman 
"just  same  von  Melican  Man"  —  Preaching  in  M'Ginnis's  Store  —  Chi 
nese  Reporter  —  Translation  of  his  Notes  —  The  Gospel  preached  to 
the  Representatives  of  all  Nations  at  once  —  Scene  described  in  the 
"Annals  of  San  Francisco  " —  Text  recorded  in  the  Sand-bank  —  Keeper 
of  the  Gate  to  Hell  — Whisky  Barrel  Pulpit  — Great  Variety  of  the 
Audience  —  "  What's  the  News  ?"—  Slighted  Irishman—  St.  Patrick  — 
Italian  Refugees  —  Defense  of  Spanish  Boy —  Maltese  —  Manilla  Men's 
Donation  to  the  Preacher  —  The  Prussian  —  "  De  Handt  of  Got  is  on 
me"  —  "De  pig  Snake"— "De  Debil"— His  Conversion— Shipped 
"  to  go  and  tell  Mudder  "—  Methodist  Kanakas  —  Obstructions  —  Ulti- 
timate  Triumph , 304 


CHAPTEK  XII. 

BIT  OF  EXPERIENCE  — CONCLUSION. 

Seamen's  "Bethel"  and  "Home  in  San  Francisco"— Successes— Re 
verses —  Book-making — Leave  of  Absence  —  J.  P.  Haven  —  Passage 
Money— Arrival  in  New- York  —  Funds  out  —  Death  in  the  Family  — 
Publishing  Book  —  Scarlet  Fever — Small-pox  —  Rheumatism  —  Labors 
—  Trials  —  Triumphs  —  Return  to  California,  etc.,  etc. — Summary  of 
California  Life  yet  to  be  illustrated 383 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAOB 

ENTRANCE  TO  THE  GOLDEN  GATE 2 

SAN  FRANCISCO   IN  1849,  FROM  THE  HEAD   OF  CLAY- 
STREET 18 

A  STEEET  SCENE  ON  A  RAINY  NIGHT 46 

INTERIOR  OF  THE  EL  DORADO 79 

SACRAMENTO  CITY 105 

CALIFORNIA  LODGING-ROOM 166 

CITY  OF  OAKLAND 181 

CITY  HALL  ON  FEBRUARY  22,  1851 191 

THE    POST-OFFICE,    CORNER    OF    PIKE    AND    CLAY 

STREETS 202 

ARRIVAL  OF  A  STEAMSHIP 212 

UNITED  STATES  MARINE  HOSPITAL 243 

NEW  WORLD  MARKET,  CORNER  OF  COMMERCIAL  AND 

LEIDSDORFF  STREETS 258 

BUTTER'S  MILL 266 

HANGING  OF  JENKINS  ON  THE  PLAZA 298 

CHINESE  FEMALES 312 

CHINESE  MERCHANTS. . .  316 


CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 


CHAPTER  J..,,  v 

MISSIONARY 


ON  the  21st  day  of  September,  1849,  the  captain 
of  our  noble  ship  said:  "We  are  now  in  latitude 
about  five  miles  north  of  the  Golden  Gate.  Never 
having  entered  the  port  of  San  Francisco,  I  thought 
it  best  to  run  a  few  miles  north,  and  feel  my  way 
down  the  coast  till  I  could  find  the  entrance."  We 
could  at  that  moment  distinctly  hear  the  breakers, 
but  were  enveloped  in  so  dense  a  fog  that  the 
man  at  the  look-out  could  not  see  the  length  of  the 
ship  ahead.  The  breeze  was  dying  away,  and  to 
proceed  on  our  course  was  very  hazardous,  for  if  we 
should  get  too  far  "  in  shore,"  and  have  no  wind  to 
enable  us  to  "  tack,  and  wear  off,"  a  current  setting 
in  might  carry  us  on  to  the  rocks.  We  therefore 
"stood  off"  a  while,  hoping  the  fog  would  rise,  but 


14  CALIFORNIA    LIFE   ILLUSTEATED. 

it  did  not.  The  breeze,  however,  sprang  up  a  little, 
and  Captain  Wilson  said  :  "  We'll  head  on  toward 
those  breakers,  and  see  what  we  can  find."  That 
shrill  command,  "  'Bout  ship,"  sent  a  thrill  of  com 
mingled  hope  and  fear  to  the  hearts  of  the  entire 
ship's  company.  There  we  were,  in  untried  seas, 
running  through  a  fog,  which  utterly  darkened  the 
field  of  vision  in  every  direction,  right  toward  the 
breakers,  whose  thunder  pealed  its  warning  notes 
into  our  ears  with  increasing  distinctness  as  we 
advanced.  But  we  had  unshaken  confidence  in  the 
skill  of  our  commander,  and  said,  "  Go  on."  We 
liad  tried  him  during  a  long  voyage  round  Cape 
Horn ;  had  witnessed  his  perfect  self-possession  as  he 
stood  amid  the  wreck  of  our  masts  and  rigging, 
which  had  been  thrown  down  in  tangled  prostration 
on  the  deck  of  our  noble  ship  by  the  sudden  burst 
of  a  "  white  squall ;"  had  seen  him  convert  his 
deck  into  a  shipyard,  and  make  masts,  yards,  and 
rigging,  and  refit,  without  putting  into  port,  or 
losing  a  day's  sail ;  and  again  we  said  to  our  grand 
old  captain  in  the  fog,  "  Go  on."  So  on  and  on  we 
went  till,  as  suddenly  as  striking  a  sunken  reef,  we 
ran  out  of  the  darkness  into  the  brightest  day  of 
California's  sunshine.  The  whole  coast,  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  reach,  was,  in  a  moment,  spread  out  to  the 
rapturous  gaze  of  one  hundred  passengers,  who  had 
not  seen  the  land  but  once  for  one  hundred  and 


MISSION  AKY    LIFE.  15 

fifty-five  days.  The  scene  was  transporting  beyond 
description. 

There  lay  the  land  we  had  longed  for ;  over  us 
were  the  brightest  skies  we  ever  had  seen ;  around 
us  were  myriads  of  ducks  and  pelicans,  and  other 
fowls  of  the  sea  in  vast  variety.  Beneath  us  were 
several  whales  spouting  and  playing  about  our  ship, 
often  coming  within  thirty  feet  of  us.  Some  of  the 
passengers  discharged  their  revolvers  at  them  with 
out  any  apparent  effect. 

Thus  entertained  we  sailed  down  the  coast,  ran 
without  a  pilot  through  the  Golden  Gate,*  and  just 
as  the  sun  was  sinking  below  the  horizon  of  the  great 
Pacific  our  sails  were  furled,  and  the  command  was 
given,  "  Let  go  the  anchor." 

During  our  voyage  of  five  months  and  three  days 
we  heard  no  tidings  from  California,  except  at  Val 
paraiso.  There  we  were  informed  by  "  The  latest 
news  from  San  Francisco,"  that  lawless  anarchy 
reigned,  that  there  was  no  security  for  life  or  prop 
erty,  and  that  the  few  families  who  had  the  bad  for 
tune  to  go  to  California  had  been  obliged  to  leave, 
not  excepting  even  the  family  of  the  territorial  gov 
ernor.  Such  news  reminded  me  of  the  sayings  of 
some  of  my  friends,  who  had  charged  me  with  cruelty 
for  taking  my  family  to  that  "  barbarous  land." 

Under  these  circumstances  we  were  all  very  anx- 
0  See  Frontispiece. 


16  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

ious  to  know  the  facts  about  California  life.  The 
first  thing  that  arrested  our  attention  after  finding 
our  moorings,  by  way  of  variety,  after  the  frequent 
shouts  of  "  Sail  ho !"  or,  "  A  whale  !  a  whale  !"  was 
the  lassooing  of  a  bullock  on  the  north  side  of  "  Tele 
graph  Hill,"  then  a  wild  wood,  now  a  populous  part 
of  the  city  of  San  Francisco.  It  was  now  too  late  for 
the  passengers  to  go  ashore  that  night,  all  being 
strangers  in  a  strange  land ;  but  soon  a  Mr.  M.,  a 
brother  of  one  of  our  passengers,  boarded  our  ship, 
and  we  all  gathered  around  him  to  hear  the  news. 
He  brought  marvelous  things  to  our  ears.  No  war 
in  the  country,  but  peace  and  plenty,  and  fortunes 
for  all  who  could  work  or  gamble  expertly:  that 
clerks  were  getting  in  San  Francisco  two  hundred 
dollars  per  month,  cooks  three  hundred  per  month  ; 
the  gamblers  were  the  aristocracy  of  the  land; 
gambling  being  the  most  profitable,  hence  the  most 
respectable  business  a  man  could  follow.  I  asked 
the  gentleman  whether  or  not  there  were  any  min 
isters  of  the  Gospel  or  churches  in  the  place  ? 

"Yes,"  said  he,  "we  have  one  preacher,  but 
preaching  won't  pay  here,  so  he  quit  preaching  and 
went  to  gambling.  There  is  but  one  church  in  town, 
and  that  has  been  converted  into  a  jail." 

Some  one  told  him  that  I  was  a  minister,  and  had 
the  frame  of  a  church  aboard.  He  advised  by  all 
means  to  sell  the  church,  assuring  me  that  I  could 


SAN    FRANCISCO     IN     1849,    FROM    THE    HEAD    OF    CLAY- STREET. 


MISSION AEY   LIFE.  19 

make  nothing  out  of  it  as  a  church,  but  I  could  sell 
it  for  ten  thousand  dollars.  I  told  him  my  church 
was  not  for  sale.  I  afterward  found  his  assertions  in 
regard  to  wages  true;  in  regard  to  the  gamblers 
nearly  true ;  but  his  ecclesiastical  history  false,  except 
that  the  "school-house  on  the  Plaza,"  which  had 
been  used  as  a  preaching  place,  was  then  used  for  a 
jail.  "With  our  evening  repast  of  news  from  Mr.  M. 
we  retired  to  rest,  hoping  on  the  morrow  to  spy  out 
the  land  ourselves.  The  next  morning,  Saturday, 
September  22,  I  went  ashore  in  company  with  Cap 
tain  Wilson  and  Kobert  Kellan. 

When  we  reached  the  summit  of  the  hill  above 
Clark's  Point,  we  stopped  and  took  a  view  of  the  city 
of  tents.  Not  a  brick  house  in  the  place,  and  but 
few  wooden  ones,  and  not  a  wharf  or  pier  in  the 
harbor.  But  for  a  few  old  adobe  houses,  it  would 
have  been  easy  to  imagine  that  the  whole  city  was 
pitched  the  evening  before  for  the  accommodation  of 
a  vast  caravan  for  the  night ;  for  the  city  now  con 
tained  a  population  of  about  twenty  thousand,  and  I 
felt  oppressed  with  the  fear  that  under  the  influence 
of  the  gold  attraction  of  the  mountains,  those  tents 
might  all  be  struck  some  morning,  and  the  city  sud 
denly  leave  its  moorings  for  parts  unknown.  But 
my  business  ashore  was  to  see  whether  I  could  find 
any  lovers  of  Jesus,  and,  especially,  any  bearing  the 
name  of  Methodist,  who  could  tell  me  how  the  land 


20  CALIFORNIA   LITE   ILLUSTRATED. 

lay,  and  of  the  whereabouts  of  my  fellow-missionary, 
Rev.  Isaac  Owen,  who  had  started  with  his  family 
"over  the  plains"  before  I  sailed  from  Baltimore,  and 
whom  I  expected  to  find  on  my  arrival.  I  was  in 
troduced  to  the  business  firms  of  Dewitt  &  Harrison, 
Bingham,  Reynolds,  &  Co.,  and  Finley  &  Co.,  and 
spoke  to  many  other  persons ;  and  everywhere  I  went 
made  diligent  inquiry  whether  or  not  there  were 
any  Methodists  in  the  city  ?  but  everywhere  learned 
that  no  such  creatures  lived  in  the  place,  or  if  they 
did,  they  had  neither  seen  nor  heard  of  them. 
After  prosecuting  my  fruitless  Methodist  hunt  till 
noonday,  I  fell  in  with  Captain  Stetson,  master  of  the 
bark  Hebe,  from  Baltimore,  and  accepted  his  invita 
tion  to  dine  with  him  aboard  his  vessel.  I  had  seen 
his  passengers  as  they  embarked  in  Baltimore  for  the 
"  land  of  gold,"  and  saw  him  set  sail  on  his  California 
voyage,  and  listened  now  with  mournful  interest  to  the 
captain's  narrative  of  his  eventful  and  in  some  respects 
disastrous  voyage.  In  attempting  to  pass  through 
the  Straits  of  Magellan  he  had  been  obliged  to  cast 
anchor,  and  await  a  favorable  wind  to  enable  him  to 
go  through  the  Straits.  While  there,  some  of  his 
passengers  concluded  to  go  ashore.  I  believe  there 
were  seven  of  them  who  had  taken  their  guns  to  have 
a  little  pleasure  on  the  frozen  shores  of  Patagonia. 
But  during  their  absence  a  furious  gale  arose,  which 
swept  the  bark  from  her  moorings.  She  dragged  her 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  21 


anchors  until  her  chains  parted,  and  was  then  driven 
before  the  blast  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean. 

All  the  captain's  earnest  efforts  to  get  back  to  his 
lost  men  proved  ineffectual.  Having  no  anchors 
left,  he  could  not  make  a  near  approach  to  the  land, 
in  that  stormy  region,  so  he  was  under  the  painful 
necessity  of  leaving  his  adventurous  sportsmen  to  the 
rigors  of  a  Cape  Horn  winter,  and  to  the  tender  mer 
cies  of  the  Patagonian  Indians,  considered  the  most 
merciless  of  their  kind.  Happily,  however,  for  the 
poor  fellows,  after  enduring  great  sufferings  from 
cold,  hunger,  and  Indian  barbarity,  they  finally 
escaped  in  a  vessel  that  was  passing  through  the 
Straits. 

At  Valparaiso  the  captain  supplied  his  bark  with 
anchors.  "VYhile  there  he  became  acquainted  with 
Rev.  Dr.  Yermehr,  en  route  to  California  as  a  mis 
sionary  from  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  The 
doctor  and  his  family  had  been  so  badly  treated  on 
the  ship  in  which  they  had  rounded  the  Cape,  that 
the  good  people  of  Valparaiso  made  up  a  purse  for 
the  doctor,  and  secured  a  passage  for  himself  and 
family  to  San  Francisco  in  the  bark  Hebe.  Captain 
Stetson,  as  a  Christian  gentleman,  brought  them  on, 
in  comfort,  to  their  destination. 

After  dinner  I  again  went  ashore,  and  renewed 
my  Methodist  search.  Hearing  some  one  speak  of 
Merrill's  Hotel,  I  was  reminded  of  a  published  letter 


22  CALIFOKNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

I  had  read,  from  the  pen  of  Eev.  "William  Roberts, 
giving  an  account  of  his  short  sojourn  in  San  Fran 
cisco,  on  his  way,  as  missionary,  to  Oregon,  in  1847 ; 
and  of  his  having  organized  a  little  Sunday  school 
here,  appointing  J.  H.  Merrill  superintendent.  It 
occurred  to  me  that  this  might  be  the  same  Merrill ; 
BO  I  hastened  to  find  Merrill's  Hotel,  on  Stockton- 
street,  where  the  City  Hospital  now  stands. 

Finding  Mr.  Merrill,  I  ascertained  sure  enough 
that  he  was  the  man  referred  to  by  Brother  Roberts. 
He  said  he  was  not  a  Methodist  himself,  but  he  knew 
of  a  number  of  them  in  the  city ;  u  and  yonder,"  said 
he,  "  is  their  new  church,"  pointing  to  an  uncovered 
frame  on  a  neighboring  hill. 

"  There  is  a  Methodist  family,"  continued  he, 
"  living  down  there  in  that  adobe  house ;  and  Mr. 
Finley,  the  head  of  the  family,  is  sick,  and  I  have  no 
doubt  would  be  glad  to  see  you." 

"  I  will  be  pleased  to  call  on  them,"  said  I. 

So  Mr.  Merrill  went  with  me,  and  introduced  me 
to  Brother  and  Sister  Finley.  I  was  delighted  that  I 
had  found  at  least  one  good  Methodist  family  in 
California,  and  talked  very  freely  with  Brother  and 
Sister  Finley  about  the  interests  of  our  common 
Methodism  on  the  Pacific  coast,  and  asked  them 
many  questions.  I  then  had  a  good  season  of 
prayer  at  the  bedside  of  Brother  Finley  ;  after  which 
they  frankly  informed  me  that  I  was  mistaken  in 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  23 

tjjf 

regard  to  their  Church  relationship;  that  they  were 
not  Methodists  exactly,  but  Campbellites. 

I  covered  my  disappointment  as  well  as  I  could, 
but  felt  glad  that  I  had  made  their  acquaintance,  for 
I  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  they  were  a  kind 
and  good  family,  whatever  they  might  be  called ;  an 
opinion  I  have  never  changed  during  a  subsequent 
acquaintance  of  seven  years. 

As  I  was  taking  my  leave  of  these  my  first  Meth 
odist  acquaintances,  I  was  met  at  the  door  by  a 
plain-looking  man,  five  feet  eight,  and  was  intro 
duced  to  him  as  Brother  John  Troubody.  "  He  is  a 
Methodist,"  said  Sister  Finley  with  a  smile ;  and 
such  I  found  him  to  be,  a  truebody  in  every  respect, 
true  as  a  personal  friend,  and  true  to  the  interests 
of  the  Church.  He  introduced  me  to  Rev.  O.  C. 
Wheeler,  the  Baptist  minister  of  the  city,  who 
invited  me  to  fill  his  pulpit  the  next  day  at  11  A.  M. 
Brother  Troubody  then  introduced  me  to  Brother  Asa 
White's  family.  Brother  White  was  a  local  preacher 
from  Illinois,  more  recently  from  Oregon.  His  sons 
and  daughters,  of  whom  he  had  a  large  family,  were 
sociable  and  kind,  and  were  all,  except  two  small 
boys,  members  of  the  Church.  They  lived  in  the 
woods,  in  Washington-street,  near  Powell,  in  the 
neighborhood  of  where  our  chapel  was  being  built. 
Their  habitation  was  a  small  rough  board  house,  one 
story  high,  covered  with  blue  cotton  cloth.  It  was 


24  CALIFOENIA   LIFE   ILLUSTKATED. 

known  in  familiar  Methodist  parlance,  as  "  the  shanty 
with  the  blue  cover,"  and  was  the  rallying  point  of 
Methodism  in  the  city,  where  the  prayer  and  class- 
meetings  were  held  every  Sabbath,  conducted  by 
Brother  White,  who  had  authority  from  Eev.  "William 
Roberts,  the  superintendent  of  the  "  Oregon  and 
California  Mission  Conference,"  to  do  the  best  he 
could  in  collecting  and  holding  the  little  society 
together  till  the  missionary  should  arrive. 

Brother  Roberts  organized  a  small  class  in  San 
Francisco  in  1847,  on  his  way  to  Oregon.  The 
class  consisted  of  Alexander  Hatler  and  wife, 
Aquila  Glover  and  wife,  and  three  or  four  others. 
Brother  Glover  was  appointed  the  leader,  but  being 
a  timid  man,  he  never  led  the  class  after  Brother 
Roberts  left,  and  no  class-meetings  were  held  there, 
as  Brother  Hatler  and  others  informed  me,  till  the 
spring  of  1849,  when  Brother  White  arrived  from 
Oregon.  He  settled  his  family  first  in  a  blue  tent, 
in  the  woods,  near  the  corner  of  Jackson  and  Mason 
streets.  Into  this  tent  the  scattered  sheep  were 
immediately  gathered,  and  regular  class-meetings 
were  held  from  that  time.  Elihu  Anthony,  a  local 
preacher,  who  lived  a  short  time  in  the  city,  and 
then  settled  in  Santa  Cruz,  assisted  in  these  meet 
ings,  but  Brother  White  was  the  responsible  leader. 
The  class  numbered,  upon  my  arrival,  about  twenty 
persons,  and  the  traveling  Methodist  adventurers 


MISSIONARY    LITE.  25 

made  an  additional  average  attendance  of  about 
thirty. 

At  Brother  White's  I  received  a  letter  from 
Brother  Roberts,  informing  me  that  I  was  appointed 
to  San  Francisco,  and  that  my  fellow-missionary, 
Brother  Owen,  was  "appointed  to  Sacramento  City 
and  Stockton."  Altogether  that  was  to  me  an 
afternoon  of  thrilling  interest,  and  contrasted  hope 
fully  with  the  unfruitful  efforts  of  my  forenoon 
adventure. 

I  returned  to  our  ship  in  the  evening  with  a 
full  budget  of  news  for  the  entertainment  of  my 
waiting  family.  Oceana,  our  beautiful  little  mission 
ary  girl,  born  on  the  South  Atlantic,  off  "  Rio  de  la 
Plata,"  in  the  region  of  pamperos  and  storms,  wras 
now  about  three  months  old.  ^Native  country  she 
had  none ;  the  sea  had  been  her  home,  the  land  she 
had  never  yet  seen.  Her  mother,  nearly  exhausted 
by  the  monotonous  wear  and  tear  of  sea  life,  and  the 
wasting  effects  of  chronic  diarrhea,  was  hardly  able 
to  walk  ashore,  but  the  idea  of  getting  off  ship,  and 
of  finding  a  resting-place  on  the  land,  was  so  exhila 
rating,  that  the  next  morning,  Sunday,  September 
23d,  she  accompanied  me  to  Mr.  Wheeler's  church, 
on  Washington-street,  where  I  preached  on  the 
divinity  of  Jesus,  from  the  text,  "  What  think  ye  of 
Christ  ?" 

There  was  profound  attention  and  good  order  dur- 


26  CALIFOKNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTKATED. 

ing  the  sermon,  with  one  exception.  A  rough-look 
ing  man,  a  little  beyond  the  meridian  of  life,  seemed 
to  take  offense  at  my  arguments  in  favor  of  the 
divinity  of  Christ,  and  cried  out  in  the  midst  of  my 
discourse : 

"I  don't  believe  it !     I  don't  believe  it !" 

"  "Wait,  my  old  friend,"  said  I,  "  till  I  get  through, 
and  let  us  take  it  one  at  a  time." 

But  he  continued  to  mutter  to  those  about  him,  till 
Mr.  Wheeler  arose  and  commanded  him  to  hush 
instantly  or  leave  the  house!  He  got  up  abruptly, 
and  walked  out,  and  I  proceeded. 

That  occasion  was  to  me,  and  I  believe  to  many, 
a  "  season  of  refreshing  from  the  presence  of  the 
Lord."  "We  dined  with  Brother  Troubody,  who  then 
lived  in  a  small  house  on  Washington -street.  He 
soon  afterward  built  the  first  brick  dwelling  in  the 
city,  on  the  corner  of  Washington  and  Powell  streets  ; 
a  four-story  house,  about  twenty-six  by  fifty  feet,  in 
which  he  still  lives. 

At  three  P.  M.  we  attended  class-meeting  in  the 
"shanty  with  the  blue  cover."  The  place  was  full 
of  men,  and  many  stood  outside  the  door.  Their  ex 
periences  were  characterized  by  originality,  freshness, 
and  thrilling  interest.  Some  had  "  crossed  the  plains ;" 
others  were  just  from  a  voyage  round  Cape  Horn; 
some  had,  on  their  passage  across  the  Isthmus,  seen 
scores  of  their  friends  swept  away  by  the  malignant 


MISSIOXAEY   LIFE.  27 

fevers  of  Panama.  All  had  seen  sights,  encountered 
dangers,  made  hairbreadth  escapes  from  death,  and 
they  were  overflowing  with  gratitude  that  "  out  of  all 
the  Lord  had  brought  them  by  his  love." 

All  had  loved  ones  far  away,  who  had  been  pray 
ing  for  them.  Their  prayers  had  been  answered; 
but  their  friends  did  not  dream  that  they,  in  Califor 
nia,  were  in  a  Methodist  class-meeting.  They 
thought  that  California  was  but  another  name  for 
Pandemonium ;  that  nothing  could  be  done  there 
without  the  consent  of  the  god  of  the  country,  alias, 
the  devil;  and  that  he  never  would  allow  a  Meth 
odist  class-meeting  to  be  held  there.  Indeed  they 
could  hardly  believe  the  testimony  of  their  own 
senses,  and  realize  that  in  California  they  were  then 
enjoying  an  old-fashioned  class-meeting.  I  will  note 
an  experience  or  two  as  a  specimen. 

Palmer,  from  Xew-York,  said :  "  I  used  to  be 
happy  in  God,  but  I  backslid.  When  I  departed 
from  the  Lord  I  got  into  trouble,  and  the  further  I 
went  from  him  the  more  my  troubles  increased. 
Everything  seemed  to  go  ill  with  me,  so  I  made  up 
my  mind  to  leave  Xew-York  and  make  a  voyage 
round  Cape  Horn  to  California,  and  thus  get  rid  of 
my  troubles.  But  I  had  been  out  to  sea  but  a  few 
days  when  I  found,  to  my  sorrow,  that  I  had  brought 
all  my  troubles  with  me,  and  left  all  my  comforts 
behind.  My  health  was  bad,  my  head  and  heart 


28  CALIFORNIA    LIFE   ILLUSTEATED. 

were  sick,  and  my  distress  became  intolerable.  I 
then  remembered  that  Jesus  had  said :  i  Come  unto 
me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and 
I  will  give  you  rest;'  so  I  carried  my  burden  to 
Jesus,  and  he  took  away  my  load  of  guilt  and  sorrow. 
Glory  be  to  his  name,  forever!  We  had  a  long, 
tedious  voyage,  but  my  soul  has  been  happy  in  God. 
As  soon  as  I  came  ashore  I  inquired  where  I  could 
find  a  Methodist  class-meeting.  I  happily  fell  in 
with  a  man  who  pointed  out  this  cabin,  and  said: 
'  That  is  the  place  you  are  hunting  for.'  Brethren,  I 
was  so  glad  to  hear  of  such  a  place  in  California  that 
I  could  hardly  wait  to  walk  up  the  hill  to  get  here. 
I  ran,  and  O  how  sweet  it  is,  after  being  cooped  up 
with  the  wicked  during  a  long  voyage  round  Cape 
Horn,  to  get  to  such  a  place  as  this  !  It  is  heaven  to 
my  soul !  Glory  be  to  God !" 

The  old  man,  with  repeated  exclamations  of  "Glory 
to  God !"  took  his  seat  and  wept  aloud.  They  were 
tears  of  joy  and  gladness. 

After  leading  the  class  inside  the  "  shanty,"  I  led 
the  outsiders,  among  whom  I  found  James  Whiting, 
a  native  of  Buenos  Ay  res,  South  America,  who 
had  been  converted  to  God  through  the  instrument 
ality  of  our  missionary  there,  Rev.  D.  D.  Lore. 
James  told  us  a  simple,  sensible,  touching  story  of 
his  life  as  a  shepherd  boy  in  orphanage.  He  was 
brought  up  with  the  sheep,  lived  among  them, 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  29 

slept  among  them  in  the  open  field;  and  while 
"  watching  his  flocks  by  night "  had  often  gazed  at 
the  stars,  and  thought  of  God,  but  saw  no  star  to 
point  him  to  Bethlehem.  His  soul  was  in  darkness 
until  the  missionary  found  him  and  led  him  to  Jesus. 
He  had  descended  from  American  parents,  but  had 
never  before  trod  North  American  soil,  nor  mingled 
with  his  Father's  brethren  in  a  class-meeting ;  and 
though  there  was  no  room  for  him  in  the  house,  he 
was  contented  to  stand  outside  and  listen,  for  he 
"  would  rather  be  a  door-keeper  in  the  house  of  God, 
than  to  dwell  in  the  tents  of  wickedness."  Being 
perfectly  familiar  with  the  Spanish  language,  he  be 
came  a  valuable  helper  in  my  work ;  sometimes  going 
with  me  through  the  hospitals  to  talk  to  sick  Span 
iards  about  Jesus,  and  occasionally  exhorting  the 
Spanish  portion  of  my  street  audiences,  and  giving 
them  Bibles  and  tracts  in  their  own  language.  He 
is  still  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  San  Francisco,  and  doing  well. 

That  was  a  class-meeting  never  to  be  forgotten. 
The  rustic  appearance  of  the  men,  and  the  pointed, 
lively  impression  of  their  narratives  on  my  mind,  are 
in  my  memory  like  a  favorite  old  picture,  to  which  the 
successive  roll  of  years  adds  but  increasing  interest. 

"We  spent  the  following  week  in  learning  California 
prices  and  modes  of  life,  and  in  trying  to  secure  a 
house  in  which  to  live.  Captain  Wilson  kindly  invited 


30  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

us  to  remain  aboard  ship  until  we  could  make 
arrangements  for  housekeeping,  and  allowed  us  the 
free  use  of  his  boat  in  passing  to  and  from  the  land. 
The  lowest  price  of  boat  hire  for  the  shortest  distance 
was  one  dollar  per  passenger.  We  learned  prices  in 
part  by  little  experiments  in  buying.  Mrs.  Taylor 
said  to  a  dealer  in  potatoes :  "  How  much  do  you  ask 
per  peck  for  your  potatoes  ?" 

"We  sell  nothing  by  measure  here,"  replied  he, 
"  for  man  or  beast.  Everything  is  bought  and  sold 
by  weight,  ma'am." 

"  Well,  what  do  you  ask  per  pound  for  potatoes  ?" 

"Fifty  cents  per  pound,  ma'am." 

"  I'll  take  a  pound  to  begin  with,"  said  she,  laying 
down  the  money ;  and  he  gave  her  for  fifty  cents  but 
one  potato. 

I  priced  some  South  American  apples,  nearly  as 
tough  as  leather ;  fifty  cents  apiece.  We  ascertained 
that  fresh  beef  was  selling  for  fifty  cents  per  pound ; 
dried  apples,  seventy-five  cents  per  pound ;  Oregon 
butter,  two  dollars  fifty  cents  per  pound  ;  flour,  fifty 
dollars  per  barrel ;  and  provisions  of  every  kind  pro- 
portionably  high.  None  of  these  things  moved  us, 
however,  for  we  had  brought  with  us  a  year's  supply 
of  all  the  substantiate  of  life.  The  only  difficulty  with 
us  was  to  get  a  house  in  which  to  live.  Rev.  O.  C. 
Wheeler,  I  learned,  was  paying  five  hundred  dollars 
a  month  rent  for  such  a  house  as  we  needed,  a  small 


MISSIO^AEY   LIFE.  31 

one-and-a-half  story  house,  containing  four  or  five 
rooms.  That  was  frightful,  for  I  only  had  money 
enough,  including  the  missionary  appropriation  for 
our  support  for  a  year — seven  hundred  and  fifty  dol 
lars — to  pay  rent,  at  that  rate,  for  about  two  months. 

There  stood  in  the  neighborhood  of  our  chapel  a 
one-story  rough  board  shanty,  about  twelve  feet 
square,  with  a  shed  roof  of  the  same  material,  prom 
ising,  altogether,  but  very  little  protection  from  the 
storms  of  approaching  winter  ;  but  I  thought  as  a  last 
resort  I  would  try  and  get  my  wife  and  babes  into  it 
till  something  better  could  be  obtained.  I  learned 
that  the  rent  for  the  shanty  was  forty  dollars  per 
month.  I  immediately  applied  for  it,  but  lo  !  it  had 
been  secured  for  the  personal  occupancy  of  a  reverend 
Episcopal  brother,  in  "  the  regular  succession ;"  and 
I,  a  poor  irregular,  was  left  to  do  the  best  I  could. 

I  then  spoke  of  building  a  little  house,  but  lumber 
was  selling  for  from  three  hundred  to  four  hundred 
dollars  per  thousand  feet.  To  pay  such  prices,  and 
build  a  house  with  my  little  stock  of  funds  was  out 
of  the  question. 

In  the  mean  time  I  had  my  household  goods  and 
provisions  taken  ashore,  paid  ten  dollars  per  dray- 
load  to  have  them  hauled  up  on  the  hill  near  the 
chapel,  and  there  they  lay  piled  up  in  the  open  air 
for  a  fortnight.  That  was  prior  to  the  advent  of  petty 
rogues  in  California. 


32  CALIFOKNIA   LIFE   ILLTISTKATED. 

On  my  second  Sabbath,  at  eleven  A.  M.,  I  again 
occupied  the  pulpit  of  Brother  Wheeler,  and  had  a 
gracious  meeting.  At  three  P.  M.  we  had  another  great 
class-meeting  in  the  "  shanty  with  the  blue  cover." 
Many  of  the  brethren  with  whom  we  had  prayed, 
and  sung,  and  shouted  the  Sabbath  before  had  gone 
to  parts  unknown ;  but  a  new  recruit  had  come  in  of 
the  same  sort.  After  class  the  question  was  raised, 
"  How  shall  our  preacher  get  a  house  to  live  in  ?" 
It  was  decided  that  the  only  way  was  to  build  one ; 
and  then  an  effort  was  made  in  the  class  to  see  how 
much  could  be  raised  toward  that  desirable  end. 
But  the  sojourners  "  were  strapped"  and  the  resident 
brethren  had  subscribed  all  they  felt  able  to  give 
toward  the  chapel,  and  could  do  but  little  for  a 
parsonage,  so  the  effort  resulted  in  a  subscription 
amounting  to  twenty-seven  dollars,  perhaps  enough 
to  buy  the  nails  and  hinges.  The  prospect  for  a 
residence  in  the  land  of  our  adoption,  as  we  supposed 
for  life,  was  very  dark  ;  but  I  never  had  doubted  that 
God  sent  me  to  California,  and  felt  a  comfortable 
assurance  that  in  some  wray  he  would  provide  for  us. 

Captain  Otis  Webb,  son  of  old  Father  Daniel  Webb 
of  the  Providence  Conference,  though  nothing  him 
self  but  a  high-minded  outsider,  (the  Lord  bless  the 
outsiders  !  I  have  found  among  them  some  of  the  best 
friends  I  ever  had  in  my  life,)  hearing  of  our  situa 
tion,  sent  us  word  that  he  was  building  a  house  near 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  33 

our  chapel,  which  would  be  finished  in  a  week,  and 
that  we  were  welcome  to  the  use  of  it,  rent  free,  for  a 
month.  So  after  remaining  a  fortnight  in  port  aboard 
ship,  enjoying  the  hospitality  of  Captain  "Wilson,  we 
moved  into  the  new  house  of  Captain  Webb,  a  one- 
and-a-half  story  house,  containing  five  rooms,  and 
would  have  rented  for  about  four  hundred  dollars  a 
month.  Thus  the  evil  day,  in  regard  to  shelter,  was 
postponed  for  a  month  at  least.  We  were,  however, 
without  fireplace  or  stove ;  but.  through  a  propitious 
dream  of  John  B.  Seidenstricker,  of  Baltimore  city, 
we  had  a  supply  of  table  furniture,  and  some  good 
ovens  and  skillets.  About  the  time  of  our  appoint 
ment  as  missionaries  to  California,  John  dreamed  one 
night  that  he  had  given  us  free  access  to  his  hardware 
store  for  a  supply  of  everything  we  might  need  in 
our  new  home ;  so  in  the  morning  when  he  awoke 
he  dressed  himself,  and  hastened  immediately  to  tell 
us  his  dream  and  give  it  a  practical  fulfillment,  which 
he  did  with  a  free  good-will.  The  Lord  bless  him ! 
It  was  neither  the  first  nor  the  last  act  of  Christian 
kindness  we  have  received  at  his  hand.  So  building 
a  camp-fire  out  of  doors,  we  brought  our  ovens  and 
skillets  into  use.  That  did  pretty  well  until  the  rains 
began  to  descend  upon  us,  and  then  for  a  sick  wife  to 
stand  over  a  drowning  fire  was  not  exactly  the  thing. 
We  had  room  in  doors  for  a  stove,  but  a  small  cook 
ing-stove  was  worth  at  least  one  hundred  dollars. 


34  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

Happily  for  us  in  this  emergence,  the  firm  of  Collins 
&  Cushman,  in  San  Francisco,  presented  us  with  a 
good  new  cooking-stove,  just  the  thing  we  then  most 
needed.  I  paid  three  dollars  per  joint  for  the  neces 
sary  pipe,  and  five  dollars  for  a  common  tin  coffee-pot. 

The  question  now  was,  "  What  shall  we  do  at  the 
end  of  the  month?"  Some  said,  as  the  Missionary 
Society  had  sent  us  there  they  would  be  bound  to 
support  us.  I  replied  that  the  Missionary  Society 
never  had,  and  never  could  support  a  man  at  Cali 
fornia  rates ;  that  my  rent  alone  for  a  year  would  be 
about  five  thousand  dollars,  to  say  nothing  of  other 
expenses ;  that  the  society,  moreover,  was  in  debt, 
and  that  I  never  expected  to  draw  on  them  for  a 
dollar  while  in  California.  I  said  to  the  brethren 
that  if  nothing  better  opened  I  would  take  my  ax 
and  wedge,  and  go  to  the  Redwoods,  fifteen  miles  dis 
tant  across  the  bay,  and  get  out  lumber  for  a  house, 
and  build  it  myself.  They  said  I  could  not  do  it; 
but  could  suggest  no  other  way  of  getting  a  house. 

A  brother  who  had  located  from  the  traveling 
ranks  to  try  his  fortunes  in  California,  said:  "Poor 
Brother  Taylor  will  work  himself  sick,  and  that  will 
end  the  matter.  It  had  been  better  for  him  to  come 
to  California  on  his  own  hook  as  I  did."  I  said  that 
I  had  come  in  the  order  of  Providence,  and  that  I 
did  not  believe  that  God  would  allow  my  family  to 
suifer  for  want  of  shelter. 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  35 

I  saw  no  other  way,  however,  but  to  go  to  the 
Kedwoods,  and  leave  the  result  with  the  Lord. 
Alexander  Hatler,  a  brother  from  Missouri,  who, 
with  his  good  wife,  had  emigrated  to  that  land 
before  gold  was  discovered,  said  he  would  go  with 
me,  and  help  me  get  out  lumber.  So  on  Tuesday, 
the  10th  of  October,  we  set  sail  for  the  Redwoods, 
in  company  with  some  of  Father  "White's  family, 
who  had  a  shanty  in  the  woods,  where  the  old  man 
and  his  sons  spent  much  of  their  time,  getting  out 
and  hauling  lumber. 

We  lauded  where  the  town  of  San  Antonia  is  now 
located.  We  then  had  five  miles  to  walk,  and  climb 
a  mountain,  carrying  our  packs  of  blankets,  pro 
visions,  and  working  tools.  We  reached  the  shanty 
a  little  after  dark.  Brother  Hatler  and  I  put  our 
stock  of  provisions  into  the  family  mess,  and  were 
admitted  as  guests,  with  the  privilege  of  wrapping 
in  our  own  blankets,  and  sleeping  on  the  ground, 
under  the  common  shelter.  After  supper  we 
listened  to  Father  White's  thrilling  backwoods 
stories  till  bedtime ;  and  then  at  the  family  altar 
we  made  the  tall  forests  vocal  with  our  song  of 
praise. 

The  next  morning  Brother  Hatler  and  I  found  a 
large  log  that  some  woodsman  had  abandoned, 
which  we  thought  could  be  worked  to  good  ad 
vantage.  We  drove  all  our  wedges  into  it,  but 


36  CALLFOKNIA   LITE   ILLUSTRATED. 

could  not  split  it,  so  it  took  us  till  noon  to  chop  our 
wedges  out.  A  heavy  rain  then  set  in,  which  con 
tinued  till  the  next  morning. 

On  Thursday  we  worked  till  noon  on  another  log. 
Being  very  large  we  had  to  bore  it,  and  burst  it  open 
with  powder;  but  it  was  too  cross-grained  for  our 
purpose.  We  then  selected  a  large  tree,  and 
chopped  at  it  till  dark.  The  next  morning  brought 
our  giant  of  the  forest  to  the  ground ;  but,  alas !  we 
could  not  work  it.  It  was  difficult  to  find  a  tree 
writh  straight  grain  and  easy  to  split;  but  the  trees 
were  so  large,  many  of  them  measuring  twelve  feet 
in  diameter,  that  when  a  good  one  was  opened  it 
yielded  almost  a  yardful  of  lumber.  But  we  did 
not  succeed  in  getting  the  right  tree. 

On  Friday  P.  M.  we  returned  to  the  landing,  so 
as  to  take  the  land  breeze  early  on  Saturday  morn 
ing,  and  be  in  the  city  in  time  for  the  appointments 
of  the  Sabbath.  "We  lay  on  the  beach  that  night,  in 
the  open  air,  to  gaze  at  the  stars,  listen  to  the  howl 
ing  of  the  coyotes,  (a  small  species  of  wolf,)  or  the 
gabble  of  multiplied  thousands  of  wild  geese,  and  the 
quacking  of  wild  ducks,  or  meditate,  or  sleep,  as  we 
felt  inclined.  I  took  my  turn  at  each  of  these, 
especially  the  last. 

The  city  brethren  were  not  at  all  disappointed 
with  the  result  of  our  trip  to  the  woods.  It  was  just 
as  they  expected;  but  I  surprised  them  by  telling 


MISSION AEY    LIFE.  3*7 

them  that  I  was  not  at  all  discouraged,  and  meant  to 
tiy  it  again  the  next  week. 

That  was  my  fourth  Sabbath  in  the  city,  and  the 
second  to  preach  in  our  new  chapel.  It  was  crowded 
that  day,  and  we  had  a  memorable  season.  I  made 
provision  for  my  appointments  on  the  following  Sab 
bath,  so  as  not  to  be  under  the  necessity  of  returning 
from  the  woods  for  a  fortnight.  Brother  Hatler 
could  not  leave  his  business  to  return  with  me  to  the 
Redwoods,  so  I  had  to  depend  on  my  own  muscles 
and  skill  alone.  That  week  I  wrought  very  hard, 
and  was  a  little  scared  one  night,  as  the  following 
extract  from  my  journal  will  show : 

"Friday,  October  19,  1849. — We  are  here  on  the 
territory  of  grizzly  bears  and  wild  cats,  which  are 
frequently  seen  by  the  wood-choppers.  I  had  some 
expectation  of  a  visit  from  a  grizzly  last  night.  We 
butchered  a  calf  in  the  evening,  which  we  had  pur 
chased  from  a  Spaniard,  and  had  it  in  the  shanty.  I 
lay  before  the  open  door,  and  thought  if  bruin 
should  come  in  to  get  some  veal  I  would  have  the 
honor  of  his  first  salutation.  But,  thought  I,  the 
God  who  saved  me  from  the  dangers  of  the  deep 
will  surely  keep  the  bears  oif  me.  With  these 
reflections  I  fell  into  a  sweet  sleep. 

"After  midnight  I  was  suddenly  awakened  by  a 
noise  outside  the  hut.  I  sprang  up,  saying  to  myself, 
'  There's  the  bear,  sure  enough !'  when  in  he  came ; 

3 


38  CALIFORNIA    LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

but,  to  my  comfort,  I  found  it  one  of  the  men  of  the 
shanty.  Such  are  many  of  the  dreadful  bears  we 
encounter  in  this  life." 

On  Friday,  the  19th  of  October,  I  went  to  a  wood 
man's  tent,  to  sharpen  my  draw-knife,  and  found  there 
a  man,  by  the  name  of  Haley,  very  far  gone  with 
diarrhea.  Soon  as  I  mentioned  the  subject  of  religion 
to  him  he  burst  into  tears,  and  cried  like  a  child. 
He  told  me  that  he  had  once  enjoyed  religion,  and 
had  been  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church ;  but,  in 
his  wanderings  in  these  Western  wilds,  he  had  got 
off  the  track,  and  lost  his  religion.  I  prayed  with 
him,  and  he  promised  to  give  his  heart,  there  and 
then,  to  God.  When  I  called  to  see  him  the  next 
day  I  found  him  rejoicing  in  the  love  of  Jesus. 

"  O,  I'm  so  glad,"  said  he,  "  that  you  called  in 
yesterday  to  see  me  !  I.  had  thought  of  sending  for 
you,  but  I  felt  so  guilty  I  could  not  have  the  courage 
to  do  so ;  but  now  I  feel  that  God,  for  the  sake  of 
Jesus,  has  pardoned  all  my  sins.  My  soul  is  happy  : 
I  am  not  afraid  to  die  now." 

Poor  fellow !  I  expected  him  to  die  within  a  few 
clays,  but  afterward  learned  that  he  recovered. 

Three  years  after  this,  one  night,  at  the  close  of 
meeting  in  the  Bethel,  in  San  Francisco,  a  man  in 
troduced  himself  to  me,  and  asked  me  if  I  remem 
bered  praying  with  a  dying  man  in  the  Redwoods, 
in  1849. 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  39 

I  replied :  "  Yes,  sir,  I  do." 

Said  he :  "I  am  that  man ;  and  my  soul  is  still 
happy  in  God." 

I  believe  this  was  the  first  man  I  was  permitted  to 
lead  to  Jesus  in  California.  A  little  of  my  Bed- 
wood  experience  is  noted  in  my  journal  of  Saturday, 
October  20,  as  follows  : 

"  I  experience  a  good  degree  of  the  love  of  God 
in  my  soul  this  evening ;  but  I  should  feel  better 
could  I  spend  the  approaching  Sabbath  at  some 
point  more  important.  O  that  my  house  were  built, 
and  my  family  settled,  that  I  might  be  wholly  given 
up  to  the  great  work  of  my  mission.  I  feel,  how 
ever,  that  I  am  working  now,  in  this  Redwood,  for 
the  Missionary  Society  and  the  Church,  and  that,  by 
the  labor  of  a  few  weeks,  I  can  live  without  another 
draft  on  the  funds  of  the  society.  O  my  Master,  help 
me  in  my  work  of  avoiding  expense  to  the  Missionary 
Board,  and  in  my  work  of  saving  sinners  in  California !" 

It  may  not  be  amiss  here  to  insert  another  bit  of 
experience  from  my  journal : 

"Sunday  morning,  October  21,  1849. — For  retire 
ment  and  meditation  I  have  strolled  out  to  the  top  of 
a  high  hill.  The  sky  is  clear  as  crystal,  and  the 
sun  is  shining  with  a  California  radiance,  unknown 
in  other  lands.  O  this  is  a  delightful  Sabbath,  and 
I  have  just  been  waking  the  echoes  of  the  wilderness 
with  that  sweet  song : 


40  CALIFORNIA   LITE   ILLUSTRATED. 

'  Welcome  sweet  day  of  rest, 
That  saw  the  Lord  arise,'  etc. 

Looking  eastward  I  see  a  dense  forest  of  linge  red 
wood  timber ;  doubtless  the  veritable  cedars  of  Leb 
anon.  West  and  north,  hills  and  mountains  stretch 
to  the  uttermost  line  of  the  ken  of  vision,  and  the 
scene,  in  its  barrenness  and  sterility  of  appearance,  is 
only  relieved  here  and  there  by  a  small  oasis,  and 
by  the  herds  of  cattle  feeding  on  the  dry  grass. 
Southward  the  whole  valley,  for  fifty  miles,  is  filled 
with  fog.  It  looks  as  though  a  firmament  of  white 
broken  clouds  had  dropped  from  the  heavens,  and 
settled  over  the  whole  region  of  the  Bay  of  San 
Francisco  and  its  adjacent  vales.  Here  I  stand  on  a 
summit  above  the  clouds.  Many  walk  beneath  those 
clouds  in  comparative  darkness,  while  I  bathe  in  the 
brightest  sunlight.  It  is  well  for  every  lover  of  Jesus 
to  rise  above  the  world,  and  dwell  on  the  Mount  of 
Holiness,  walking  'in  the  light  as  God  is  in  the 
light.' 

"A  little  to  my  right  are  two  graves.  There  sleep 
the  dust  and  buried  hopes  of  two  California  adven 
turers.  Whence  were  they?  What  their  names? 
Who  are  their  parents?  Do  they  yet  live  to  inquire 
after  their  sons  in  the  far  West?  What  was  the 
character  of  these  sons  ?  What  the  circumstances  of 
their  death  ?  Where  now  are  their  souls  ?  These  are 
questions  which  arise  in  my  mind,  but  no  voice 


MISSION AEY    LIFE.  .   41 

responds.  This  is  a  lonely,  solemn  place.  Its  lone 
liness  is  increased  by  the  numerous  vultures  which 
are  floating  through  the  air  over  my  head,  and  the 
hoarse  croaking  of  the  raven.  '  O  my  Master,  bless 
me,  and  keep  me  wholly  thine !  My  dear  sick  wife 
and  babes,  I  leave  in  thy  hands  !' " 

I  may  here  add  that  I  preached  that  Sunday  under 
the  shade  of  a  large  redwood  tree  to  twenty-five 
woodsmen.  One  of  my  hearers,  a  man  of  forty-five 
years,  heard  preaching  that  day  for  the  last  time. 
He  soon  afterward  took  suddenly  ill,  and  died,  and 
was  added  to  the  two  lonely  strangers  on  the  neigh 
boring  hill.  The  ensuing  week  I  finished  my  work 
in  the  woods.  My  scantling,  which  I  bought  in  a 
rough  state,  split  out  like  fence  rails,  I  hewed  to  the 
square  with  my  broadax.  I  got  my  joists  from  a 
man  who  had  a  saw-pit.  I  made  three  thousand 
shingles,  and  gave  them  for  twenty-four  joists,  seven 
teen  feet  long.  I  bought  rough  clapboards  six  feet 
long,  and  shaved  them  down  with  my  draw-knife  for 
weather-boarding ;  and  thus  got  in  the  woods  all  the 
materials  for  a  two- story  house  sixteen  by  twenty-six 
feet,  except  flooring,  doors,  and  windows.  I  bought 
the  doors  from  a  friend  at  a  reduced  price,  eleven 
dollars  per  door.  The  windows  one  dollar  per  light, 
ten  by  twelve  inches.  It  cost  me  twenty-five  dollars 
per  thousand  feet  to  get  my  lumber  hauled  to  the 
landing,  and  the  regular  price  of  freight  from  there  to 


42  CALIFOENIA    LIFE   ILLUSTBATED. 

the  city  was  forty  dollars  per  thousand  feet ;  but  by 
hiring  a  boat  and  working  myself,  I  got  it  done  for 
less  than  half  that  price. 

After  digging  a  foundation  on  the  church  lot,  rear 
of  the  chapel,  and  getting  my  lumber  ready  for  build 
ing  a  parsonage,  I  was  led  to  change  my  choice  of 
location  by  the  following  facts,  as  noted  from  my 
journal : 

"Friday,  October  26. — I  have  all  along  designed 
building  a  parsonage  on  the  church  lot,  thinking  that 
when  the  brethren  should  get  through  with  the 
chapel  debt,  they  might  refund  to  me  the  actual  cash 
I  expend  in  the  building.  But  I  find  that,  though 
I  shall  save  more  than  half  the  cash  cost  of  such  a 
house  by  my  own  labor,  it  will  nevertheless  cost 
more  money  than  the  brethren  will  feel  able  to  pay, 
and  much  more  probably  than  they  would  have  to 
pay  two  years  hence  for  a  house  that  will  suit  them 
much  better  for  a  parsonage.*  Moreover,  if  I  build 
on  the  church  lot,  we  shall  have  to  carry  all  the  water 
we  use  up  a  long,  steep  hill ;  or,  if  brought  to  us,  it  wTill 
cost  us  twelve  cents  per  bucket.  If,  therefore,  I  can 
get  a  lot  convenient  to  water,  and  build  on  my  own 
account,  and  thereby  save  the  society  the  enormous 
rents,  or  present  rates  of  building  a  parsonage,  I  shall 
be  doing  the  Church  a  good  service  in  that  regard, 

*  Brother  Simonds  built  there  three  years  afterward  a  better 
parsonage  for  less  than  half  the  cost  of  my  house. 


MISSION AEY    LIFE.  43 

and  may  on  the  property  save  myself  from  heavy  loss 
in  the  end." 

In  the  mean  time  Brother  Hatler  bought  a  lot,  and 
built  a  house  for  himself  and  family  on  Jackson- 
street,  above  Powell,  and  proposed  to  me,  if  I  would 
buy  the  next  lot  adjoining  and  build,  and  be  his 
neighbor,  he  would  dig  a  good  well  at  our  door,  and 
would  advance  me  the  money  to  pay  for  my  lot,  and 
let  me  refund  it  when  I  could,  without  interest.  So 
I  bought  a  lot  next  door  to  Brother  Hatler,  twenty- 
three  by  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven  and  a  half 
feet,  for  twelve  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 

Brother  Hatler,  being  a  carpenter,  gave  me  instruc 
tion  and  some  help  in  building  my  house.  I  hired  a 
few  carpenters  to  hasten  the  business,  as  the  wet 
season  was  upon  us,  till  I  got  the  house  under  roof. 
I  paid  my  carpenters  twelve  dollars  a  day,  and  while 
they  were  at  work  for  me,  the  men  of  their  craft  in 
the  city  struck  for  higher  wages,  sixteen  dollars  a  day, 
threatening  a  penalty,  which  I  need  not  mention,  on 
any  carpenter  who  should  work  for  less ;  so  I  had  to 
come  up  to  the  figures  of  sixteen  dollars  per  day. 
So  soon,  however,  as  I  got  my  house  under  roof, 
I  dismissed  my  men,  and  did  the  rest  of  the  work 
with  my  own  hands,  except  occasionally  a  brother 
passing  along  would  give  me  a  few  hours'  work. 
Clarkson  Dye,  now  proprietor  of  the  Tremont  House, 
Kew-York,  put  up  my  stairs.  Treat  Clark  gave  me 


44  CALIFOENIA   LIFE   ILLUSTKATED. 

a  day  or  two ;  but  I  wrought  daily  from  dawn  till 
dark  myself  till  it  was  finished.  While  digging 
the  foundation  I  found  the  stakes  of  the  original 
Methodist  blue-tent.  It  happened  that  I  was  build 
ing  on  the  very  spot  where  Father  White  had 
pitched  his  blue-tent  in  which  he  held  the  first  class- 
meetings  in  the  spring  of  1849.  So  we  seemed  to  be 
on  consecrated  ground.  If  it  had  not  been  before,  it 
certainly  was  afterward,  by  the  glorious  class-meet 
ings  and  bright  conversions  in  our  pioneer  house. 

In  six  weeks  from  the  time  we  moved  into  Captain 
Webb's  house  we  moved  into  our  own,  and  thus 
avoided  paying  one  cent  of  rent.  I  had  two  rooms 
up  stairs  to  rent,  to  help  pay  for  the  building,  and 
had  one  fitted  up  for  strangers,  and  especially  for 
preachers,  if  we  ever  should  be  favored  with  the  com 
pany  of  any.  We  had  just  got  it  furnished  when  Rev. 
J.  Doane  and  his  wife,  missionaries  for  Oregon, 
arrived,  and  rejoiced  to  find  so  good  a  "prophet's 
room"  in  San  Francisco.  But  we  waited  more  than 
a  year  before  the  first  recruit  of  missionaries  for  Cali 
fornia  arrived. 

A  forcible  entry  was  made  into  my  house  as  soon 
as  I  got  it  under  roof,  by  an  immense  immigration 
from  all  climes  of  the  rat  tribe.  Their  multitude 
almost  equaled  that  of  the  frogs  of  Egypt,  and  they 
were  everywhere,  in  "  bed-chambers,"  "  ovens,"  and 
"kneading  troughs."  We  could  scarcely  walk  the 


A     STREET     SCENE     ON     A     H  A  I  N  Y     NIGHT. 


MISSIOISTAEY   LIFE.  47 

streets  at  night  without  being  brought  into  contact 
with  them.  I  brought  one  to  an  untimely  end  one 
night  by  accidentally  setting  my  foot  on  it  in  the 
street.  I  have  seen  them  swimming  in  the  bay,  from 
ship  to  ship,  and  when  pursued  they  would  dive  and 
swim  under  water  like  minks.  Mrs.  Taylor  had  a 
beautiful  counterpane,  presented  to  her  by  friends  in 
Baltimore,  which  she  laid  away  carefully  for  safe 
keeping.  One  night,  as  she  was  taking  it  up  for 
examination,  she  found  it  cut  full  of  holes,  and  out 
sprang  two  China  rats,  white  as  cotton,  with  bright 
colored  eyes  surrounded  by  a  streak  of  red.  Having 
never  seen  any  of  that  color  before,  their  appearance 
produced  quite  a  sensation  in  the  family ;  we  succeed 
ed  in  capturing  one  of  them,  and  having  heard  that 
if  a  singed  rat  were  turned  into  a  nest  of  rats  they 
would  all  leave  the  house,  we  tried  the  experiment 
on  our  China  fellow.  We  gave  his  white  coat  a  good 
singeing,  not,  however,  so  as  to  hurt  his  feelings,  and 
let  him  go.  I  really  thought  that  the  unsightly 
appearance  of  his  ratship,  and  the  smell  df  fire  he 
bore  away  with  him,  would  be  a  caution  to  all  the 
family.  His  China  friends  took  the  hint  and  left,  but 
the  huge  gray  and  black  rats  stood  their  ground  and 
held  possession  of  the  premises.  Those  who  could 
build  rat-proof  houses  were  highly  favored  among 
men.  I  used  to  see  this  notice  on  the  door  of  a  little 
house  built  over  a  well :  "  Shut  the  door  and  keep 


48  CALIFORNIA   LITE   ILLUSTRATED. 

the  rats  out  of  the  well,  the  nasty  things"  But 
long  ago  the  rats,  rogues,  and  gamblers  have  been 
reduced  to  great  straits  in  that  city,  and  are  now  seen 
but  seldom. 

In  addition  to  building  materials  for  our  house, 
I  brought  from  the  woods  material  to  fence  in 
the  back  part  of  our  lot  for  a  garden.  But  says  one, 
"  Are  you  a  carpenter  and  gardener  too  ? "  I  am 
neither  one  nor  the  other,  but  I  had  faith  in  God, 
and  lacked  not  confidence  in  my  own  muscles,  and 
in  my  skill  to  direct  them  in  building,  digging,  and 
doing  whatever  else  was  necessary  for  a  living  in 
the  land  to  which  we  had  been  sent  to  labor  for  God. 
Our  garden  nourished  so  that  in  a  few  weeks  from 
the  commencement  of  the  rains  in  October,  we  had 
turnips,  greens,  and  lettuce  in  abundance,  a  luxury 
enjoyed,  I  believe,  by  but  one  other  family  in  the 
city.  A  restaurant  keeper,  passing  by  our  garden 
one  day,  said  to  Mrs.  Taylor :  "  I  would  like  to  buy 
some  of  your  greens,  madam ;  what  do  you  ask  for 
them?"  ""We  have  not  offered  any  for  sale,"  she 
replied,  "but  as  we  have  more  than  we  need,  you 
can  have  some  at  your  own  price."  Said  he,  "  I'll 
give  you  ten  dollars  for  a  water-pail  full."  He  took 
them,  paid  the  money,  and  in  a  few  days  returned 
for  more.  Mrs.  Taylor  filled  his  pail  again,  and 
told  him  she  would  not  take  ten  dollars  for  them, 
but  would  be  well  satisfied  with  eight.  She  then 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  49 

asked  him  how  he  conld  afford  to  pay  such  prices  ? 
"Well,"  said  he,  "I  boil  the  greens  slightly,  with  a 
little  bacon,  and  get  for  them,  when  ready  for  use, 
fifty  cents  a  fork.  I  make  a  very  good  profit  on 
them." 

We  were  now  pretty  well  fixed,  but  Mrs.  Taylor 
thought  our  little  home  wrould  look  more  homelike  if 

O 

we  could  have  a  few  chickens.  So  she  applied  to  a 
neighbor  lady  who  had  a  good  stock  of  poultry,  and 
the  lady  replied  that  she  would  be  happy  to  accom 
modate  her,  and  as  she  was  the  missionary's  wife, 
she  might  have  them  at  a  reduced  price. 

"How  much,  Mrs.  C.,  will  you  charge  me  for  a 
rooster  and  two  hens  ?" 

"  You  can  have  the  three,  madam,"  replied  Mrs. 
C.,  "  for  eighteen  dollars." 

Mrs.  Taylor  paid  the  price  demanded,  and  brought 
home  the  fowls.  I  built  a  house  for  their  accommo 
dation,  and  put  a  lock  on  it  to  secure  them  at  night, 
but  some  hungry  fellow  came  along  a  few  nights 
afterward,  pulled  a  board  off  the  rear  end  of  the 
house,  and  carried  away  the  cock  and  one  of  the 
hens,  and  we  saw  them  no  more.  The  remaining 
hen  soon  paid  for  herself  in  eggs. 

Having  to  buy  milk  for  our  little  Oceana,  we  got 
a  supply  daily  from  a  neighbor,  at  the  low  rate  of 
one  dollar  per  quart.  One  dollar  and  a  quarter  per 
quart  was  the  selling  price,  but  being  missionaries 


50  CALIFORNIA    LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

we  were  specially  favored.  Our  milkwoman  did 
business  also  in  the  egg  line,  and  offered  us  six  dol 
lars  per  dozen  for  all  we  had  to  spare.  She  gave 
us  but  six  dollars,  because  she  bought  to  sell  again 
for  nine  dollars  per  dozen.  So  when  it  was  not  con 
venient  for  us  to  pay  money  for  milk,  we  found  a 
convenient  currency  in  eggs,  at  fifty  cents  apiece. 

In  the  course  of  human  events  our  milkwoman 
moved  away,  and  we  bought  for  milk  some  kind  of  a 
chalk  mixture  that  made  our  little  girl  sick ;  so  I 
sent  to  Sacramento  City,  where  good  cows  could  be 
got  cheap,  and  bought  a  cow  for  two  hundred  dollars, 
and  then  we  had  plenty  of  good  milk  of  our  own. 
Such  was  life  in  California  in  1849. 

I  have  gone  thus  into  detail,  not  to  exhibit  mine  as 
a  peculiar  case,  for  it  was  not  so,  but  simply  to  illus 
trate  California  life.  As  for  sufferings  I  had  none. 
My  labors  in  house  building  were  simply  a  good 
acclimating  process,  which  increased  my  physical 
power,  and  prepared  me  the  more  effectively  to 
endure  the  ministerial  toil  to  which  I  was  called.  As 
for  comforts,  I  was  better  off  than  most  of  my  neigh 
bors.  We  had  a  comfortable  home,  while  the  great 
mass  of  our  "  city  folks  "  lived  in  very  inferior  shan 
ties  and  tents. 

I  have  often  gone  out  in  the  morning  after  a 
stormy  night,  and  found  whole  rows  of  tents  lying 
flat  on  the  ground,  and  scattered  in  every  direction 


MISSIONARY   LIFE.  51 

\ 

by  the  merciless  blasts  of  winter ;  and  many  of  my 
brethren  in  the  ministry,  at  a  later  day,  suffered 
probably  greater  trials  and  hardships  than  I  did  at 
the  beginning.  The  Lord  bless  and  reward  them,  for 
he  only  knows  how  great  and  varied  have  been  the 
trials  of  missionary  life  in  California. 


52  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 


CHAPTEE  II. 

MISSIONARY   LIFE  - —  CONTINUED. 

WHEN  the  organization  of  the  "  Oregon  and  Cali 
fornia  Mission  Conference"  was  authorized  by  the 
General  Conference  of  1848,  Kev.  WILLIAM  EGBERTS, 
who  had  been  sent  as  missionary  to  Oregon  the  year 
before,  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  mission 
ary  work  in  both  territories  ;  a  good  appointment,  for 
he  is  a  capable,  noble  brother,  and  a  faithful  minister 
of  the  Gospel ;  but  his  services  were  in  great  demand 
in  Oregon,  and  being  fully  committed  to  the  work 
there,  and  having  his  family  and  home  there,  more 
than  seven  hundred  miles  distant  from  San  Francisco, 
he  was  only  able  to  render  to  California  the  semi 
annual  visit  of  a  few  weeks. 

His  first  visit  as  superintendent  was  in  the  summer 
of  1849,  during  which  he  preached  in  San  Francisco, 
Sacramento  City,  Coloma,  and  perhaps  at  other  points. 
A  friend,  who  heard  him  preach  at  Coloma,  says 
that  Eev.  Mr.  Damon,  from  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
preached  that  day  in  the  same  house,  and  a  "hat 
collection"  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  dollars  was 


MISSION AEY   LIFE.  53 

raised,  to  be  divided  equally  between  the  two  preach 
ers,  to  defray  their  traveling  expenses.  In  the  "  hat" 
was  found  a  twenty  and  a  ten-dollar  piece,  carefully 
folded  in  paper,  on  which  was  written,  "  I  design  the 
twenty  dollars  for  Mr.  Roberts,  because  he  fearlessly 
dealt  out  the  truth  against  the  gamblers.  The  ten 
dollars  are  for  Mr.  Damon/'  Signed  by  the  leading 
gambler  of  the  town. 

Without  casting  the  slightest  reflection  on  Brother 
Damon,  for  I  believe  him  to  be  a  faithful  man  of 
God,  I  would  remark  that  the  conduct  of  the  gam 
bler  is  a  good  illustration  of  a  prominent  characteris 
tic  of  Californians  generally,  however  wicked ;  for 
while  they  will  not  endure  low  abuse,  they  want 
a  man,  and  especially  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  to 
speak  out  the  whole  truth  fearlessly,  boldly,  and  to 
make  thorough  work  of  whatever  he  undertakes. 

I  heard  of  a  would-be  preacher  in  California,  who 
tried  to  become  "  all  things  to  all  men  "  in  a  sense 
that  the  great  apostle  would  not  approve.  He  fell 
in  company  with  a  fine-looking  man,  whom  he  took 
to  be  a  gambler,  and  made  himself  very  agreeable  to 
him  indeed,  till  finally  the  latter  remarked : 

"  The  old  fogies  at  home  would  be  horror-stricken 
to  see  a  man  of  your  cloth  associating  so  familiarly 
with  one  of  my  profession." 

"O,"  said  the  preacher,  "I  look  upon  your  pro 
fession  in  a  very  different  light  from  that  of  most 


54  CALIFORNIA    LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

ministers.  California  is  a  peculiar  country ;  a  country 
of  chance  in  every  department  of  business ;  and  games 
of  chance  are  about  on  a  par  with  everything  else, 
and  gambling  has  been  made  honorable  here  by  the 
many  honorable  men  who  have  engaged  in  it." 

"  By  Harry!"  rejoined  the  other;  "  do  you 
mean  to  insinuate  that  I  am  a  gambler  ?  If  I  were  a 
gambler  I  wouldn't  show  myself  in  decent  society. 
I  belong  to  the  stage  ;  but  I  want  you  to  understand 
that  I'm  no  gambler,"  and,  turning  on  his  heel,  he 
cut  the  acquaintance  of  his  fawning  friend. 

The  justly  mortified  preacher  found  that  he  had 
set  his  moral  standard  too  low  for  California  common 
sense,  and  quite  undershot  his  mark. 

I  will  in  justice  say,  that  I  know  of  no  regular 
missionary  of  any  denomination  in  California  who 
has  acted  the  part  of  the  preacher  just  referred  to. 

Brother  Roberts  on  this  trip  secured  from  Captain 
Sutter  the  donation  of  a  church  lot  in  Sacramento 
City ;  and  hearing  that  I  was  bringing  with  me,  via 
Cape  Horn,  the  frame  of  a  church  from  Baltimore, 
he  decided  that  it,  on  arrival,  had  better  be  shipped 
to  Sacramento  City,  and  he  would,  immediately  on 
his  return,  have  one  for  San  Francisco,  framed  and 
shipped  from  Oregon. 

Captain  Gelson  set  apart  for  the  Methodist  Epis 
copal  Church  in  San  Francisco,  a  fifty  vara  lot,  one 
hundred  and  thirty-seven  and  a  half  feet  square, 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  55 

near  the  corner  of  Montgomery  and  Pine-streets ; 
but  "  it  was  away  over  in  the  sand-hills,  quite  out  of 
town;"  and  the  brethren  bought,  for  two  thousand 
dollars,  the  half  of  a  fifty  vara  lot  on  Powell-street, 
on  which  to  erect  the  forthcoming  church.  Captain 
Gelson  then  sold  the  said  fifty  vara  lot  for  one  thou 
sand  dollars,  and  subscribed  that  amount  to  the  new 
church  enterprise  on  Powell-street. 

The  church  site  on  Powell-street  was,  like  Mount 
Zion,  "  beautiful  for  situation ;"  the  top  of  a  high 
hill,  above  the  town,  commanding  a  grand  view  of 
the  bay  and  surrounding  country,  and  requiring 
nearly  all  who  desired  to  worship  there  to  say : 
"  Let  us  go  up  to  the  house  of  the  Lord."  But  the 
going  up  was  so  heavy  a  business  that  the  location 
for  a  church  was,  for  several  years,  very  unfavorable 
indeed.  A  large  number  of  families  having  since 
settled  on  that  and  on  other  hills  still  further  west,  it 
has  become  a  very  good  location  for  a  church. 

The  Gelson  lot,  however,  which  was  twice  as  large, 
and  was  sold  for  half  che  price  of  this,  was  within 
less  than  four  years  in  nearly  the  center  of  the  city, 
and  one  of  the  best  church  sites  in  it,  but  could  not 
be  bought  for  less  than  thirty  thousand  dollars. 

On  this  visit  to  California  Brother  Roberts  brought 
with  him  his  blankets,  sleeping  and  traveling  gear, 
and  on  his  arrival  bought  and  rigged  up  a  mule, 
and  thus  traveled  on  "  the  foal  of  an  ass "  in  primi- 

4 


56  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

tive  independent  style,  carrying  a  Bible  in  one  hand 
and  a  good  Colt's  revolver  in  the  other.  The  Bible 
he  had  occasion  to  use  every  day,  the  blankets  every 
night,  but  happily  for  him  and  for  all  the  hostile 
foes  he  encountered,  the  sight  of  the  "fire-dog"  was 
enough. 

On  his  next  visit,  a  few  months  later,  he  brought 
his  blankets  again  ;  but  we  informed  him  that  he 
need  not  untie  them,  as  California  had  so  risen  in  the 
scale  of  civilization,  and  had  so  advanced  in  internal 
improvements,  that  she  could  furnish  at  least  one  bed, 
blankets  and  all,  for  the  ministers  who  might  visit 
her  shores.  He  ascertained  that  it  was  even  so,  and 
I  saw  no  more  of  his  blankets. 

On  my  arrival  in  San  Francisco  I  found  the  frame 
of  the  said  church  from  Oregon  up,  and  the  floor 
laid ;  size,  twenty-five  by  forty  feet.  There  was  as  yet 
no  regular  board  of  trustees ;  but  Brothers  Troubody, 
Hatler,  White,  and  others  were  earnestly  at  work 
"building  a  house  for  the  Lord."  They  had  paid 
eleven  hundred  dollars  freight  on  the  lumber  from 
Oregon,  and  were  paying  the  carpenters  as  the  work 
proceeded,  so  that  when  the  church  was  finished  they 
owed  nothing  except  the  cost  of  the  lumber  in  Ore 
gon,  which  was  nearly  fifteen  hundred  dollars.  Some 
months  afterward,  when  Brother  Roberts  presented 
the  lumber  bill,  they  raised  and  paid  over  nearly 
five  hundred  dollars,  and  turned  over  to  Brother 


MISSIONARY   LIFE.  57 

Eoberts  Captain  Gelson's  thousand  dollar  subscrip 
tion. 

This,  the  second  Protestant,  and  first  Methodist 
church  built  in  California,  was  dedicated  the  third 
Sunday  after  my  arrival,  October  8th,  1849.  I 
preached  the  dedication  sermon  to  a  crowded  house, 
from :  "  The  voice  of  him  that  crieth  in  the  wilder 
ness,  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the  Lord,  make  straight 
in  the  desert  a  highway  for  our  God.  Every  valley 
shall  be  exalted,  and  every  mountain  and  hill  shall 
be  made  low,  and  the  crooked  shall  be  made  straight, 
and  the  rough  places  plain.  And  the  glory  of  the 
Lord  shall  be  revealed,  and  all  flesh  shall  see  it  to 
gether  ;  for  the  mouth  of  the  Lord  hath  spoken  it." 
I  was  assisted  in  the  dedicatory  services  by  Rev.  O. 
C.  Wheeler,  Baptist  minister ;  Rev.  Alfred  Williams, 
Presbyterian ;  and  Rev.  T.  Dwight  Hunt,  Congrega 
tion  alist. 

These  were  all  the  Protestant  pastors  in  the  city 
at  that  time,  except  Rev.  Mr.  Mines  and  Rev.  Dr. 
Vermehr,  who,  though  friendly  enough  in  social  life, 
did  not,  being  Episcopal  clergymen,  give  us  an  eccle 
siastical  fraternization.  But  the  three  brethren  above 
named  all  extended  to  me  a  hearty  welcome  on  my 
arrival,  and  afterward  ever  exhibited  gentlemanly 
courtesy,  and  the  good-will  of  a  common  Christian 
brotherhood. 

In  connection  with  our  dedication  service,  we  ded- 


58  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

icated  our  little  missionary  girl  to  the  Lord  by  bap 
tism.  Born  on  the  ocean  on  our  voyage  round  Cape 
Horn,  we  called  her  Oceana.  The  ordinance  was 
administered  by  Kev.  William  H.  Hatch.  Brother 
Hatch  had  that  year  located  from  the  New-England 
Conference,  and  became  the  chaplain  of  a  large 
mining  company  which  arrived  in  San  Francisco  in 
the  fall  of  1849,  in  the  ship  Araetus,  Captain  "Wooley. 
They  were  going  to  dig  a  mint  of  gold,  establish  a 
colony,  build  a  church  ;  and  Brother  H.,  for  his  serv 
ices  as  chaplain,  was  to  share  equally  in  the  profits 
with  those  who  were  to  dig  the  gold.  It  was  a  mag 
nificent  arrangement. 

I  met  with  this  ship's  company  at  Valparaiso,  en 
route  to  California,  and  there,  by  the  politeness  of 
Brother  Hatch,  taking  a  peep  through  their  telescope 
of  manifest  destiny,  I  saw  the  beautiful  vision  of  their 
dreams.  But  soon  after  their  arrival  in  California,  as 
was  invariably  the  case  writh  large  mining  companies 
in  those  days,  they  disagreed  with  each  other,  dis 
banded,  and  every  one  took  his  own  course. 

Brother  Hatch  had  made  no  calculation  on  going  to 
manual  labor.  His  prospects  of  success  and  useful 
ness  were  built  alone  on  the  unity  and  success  of  the 
company ;  but  now  it  was  all  broken  up,  and  he  was 
left  in  the  lurch,  which  was  almost  as  shocking  to  his 
nervous  system  as  to  his  bright  hopes,  and  lee-lurched 
him  so  low  in  a  spell  of  sickness,  that  for  weeks  it 


MISSIONARY  LIFE.  59 

was  very  doubtful  whether  he  ever  would  right  up 
again.  Poor  brother,  I  really  pitied  him.  There  he 
was,  nearly  six  thousand  miles  from  his  family,  ont 
of  funds,  out  of  health,  but  few  friends,  and  they 
constantly  engaged  in  looking  out  for  themselves ; 
no  home,  no  employment,  and  expense  of  a  mere 
subsistence  enormous.  The  brother  was  in  a  bad 
case,  and  somehow,  whenever  an  itinerant  Methodist 
preacher  locates,  however  pure  his  motives,  and 
afterward  gets  into  adversity,  he  shares  in  the  sym 
pathy  of  his  friends  about  as  largely  as  did  Jonah 
when  swallowed  by  the  whale.  To  make  the  matter 
worse,  the  unhappy  sufferer  is  very  apt  to  join  with 
his  friends  in  reproaching  himself.  When  Brother 
Hatch  got  able  to  work  a  little,  he  had,  from  neces 
sity,  to  take  the  position  of  a  waiter  in  the  mechan 
ic's  boarding-house,  from  which  some  slanderer  re 
ported  at  home  that  he  was  selling  rum.  There  was, 
however,  no  bar  in  the  establishment,  being  simply 
an  eating-house,  and  Brother  Hatch  was  engaged  in 
the  very  honorable  business  of  washing  dishes,  set 
ting  table,  etc.  He  afterward  went  to  the  mines, 
and  I  learned  had  good  success  in  digging  gold  ;  and 
what  was  better,  regained  a  higher  degree  of  health 
than  he  had  enjoyed  for  years  before. 

From  an  intimate  personal  acquaintance  with 
Brother  Hatch  during  most  of  his  sojourn  of  a  couple 
of  years  in  California,  I  have  to  say  of  him,  that 


60  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

however  great  his  mistake  in  locating,  I  believe, 
through  all  his  humiliating  reverses  and  subsequent 
prosperity,  he  conducted  himself  as  a  Christian  gen 
tleman,  and  as  a  minister  preached  frequently,  and 
always  with  faithfulness  and  acceptability.  He  is  a 
good  Gospel  preacher,  and  immediately  on  his  return 
to  his  family  resumed  his  work  as  an  itinerant  in  the 
New-England  Conference. 

Our  congregations  being  too  large  for  our  little 
church,  we  made,  in  the  early  part  of  1851,  an  addi 
tion  to  the  rear  end  of  it,  twenty  feet  in  depth  by 
thirty-five  in  width,  giving  the  house  the  form  of  the 
letter  T.  This  enlargement  cost  about  sixteen  hun 
dred  dollars. 

In  1854  the  original  church  was  sold  and  moved 
off  the  lot,  and  a  fine  wood  edifice  erected,  fifty  by 
eighty  feet,  at  a  cost  of  about  fifteen  thousand 
dollars. 

The  old  church  is  now  used  as  a  dwelling  on  an 
adjoining  lot. 

THE  BALTIMORE  CALIFORNIA  CHAPEL,  though  sec 
ond  in  its  erection  by  a  few  weeks,  was  the  first 
Protestant  church  ever  prepared  for  California  use. 
It  was  framed  in  Baltimore  by  John  W.  Hogg,  in 
February,  1849,  having  doors,  windows,  tin  roof,  and 
everything  furnished,  just  ready,  like  the  materials 
of  Solomon's  temple,  for  being  put  up. 

The  friends  in  Baltimore  not  only  thus  provided  a 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  61 

church,  but  paid  all  the  freight  on  it  to  San  Fran 
cisco.  Whole  amount  contributed,  eleven  hundred 
and  ninety-eight  dollars  and  seventy-four  cents.  Of 
this  North  Baltimore  Station  paid  four  hundred  and 
sixty-four  dollars.  The  rest  was  made  up  in  Light, 
Eutaw,  Fayette,  and  Charles-street  Churches,  with  a 
few  private  donations.  The  largest  subscriptions  was 
fifty  dollars,  by  Durias  Carter.  It  cost  upward  of 
five  hundred  dollars  to  freight  this  little  chapel  from 
San  Francisco  to  Sacramento  City,  an  amount  ex 
ceeding  the  freight  from  Baltimore  to  San  Francisco ; 
but  it  was  a  godsend  to  the  Sacramentans,  for  they 
greatly  needed  a  church,  and  lumber  there  was  four 
hundred  dollars  per  thousand  feet.  Prior  to  the 
erection  of  the  church  they  had  preaching  under  an 
oak-tree,  and  sometimes  in  a  blacksmith's  shop. 

Though  the  Methodists  were  the  first  Protestants  to 
explore  California  as  a  missionary  field,  Rev. 
William  Roberts  and  Rev.  J.  II.  Wilbur,  Methodist 
missionaries  to  Oregon,  having  as  early  as  May, 
1847,  visited  San  Francisco,  Monterey,  and  othei 
points,  and  made  earnest  appeals  to  the  Church  on 
the  importance  of  sending  missionaries  there  imme 
diately  ;  and  though  the  General  Conference  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  as  early  as  May,  1848, 
authorized  the  organization  of  the  "  Oregon  and  Cali- 
9  fornia  Mission  Conference,"  and  the  appointment  of 
two  missionaries  for  California  that  year,  still,  in  the 


62  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

order  of  time,  we  were  considerably  behind  other 
denominations  in  occupying  the  field. 

Rev.  T.  D.  HUNT,  who  had  for  some  time  been 
in  the  service  of  the  "American  Board  of  Com 
missioners  of  Foreign  Missions,"  arrived  in  San 
Francisco,  from  the  Sandwich  Islands,  in  October, 
1848. 

"Three  days  after  his  arrival  he  was  formally 
invited  by  the  prominent  citizens  of  the  place,  of 
every  religious  persuasion,  to  reside  among  them,  and 
act  as  chaplain  of  the  town  for  one  year,  dating  from 
November  1,  1848.  A  salary  of  two  thousand  five 
hundred  dollars  was  voted  at  the  public  meeting  as 
compensation  for  his  services,  and  was  promptly 
subscribed,  and  paid  in  quarterly  installments.  The 
school-house  on  the  Plaza  was  appropriated  by  the 
town  as  the  place  of  public  worship,  and  services 
were  at  once  held  in  it  at  eleven  o'clock  A.M.,  and 
half  past  seven  P.M.  of  every  Sabbath." 

Acting  thus  as  chaplain  for  the  town,  Mr.  Hunt 
did  not  organize  a  Church  until  July,  1849,  when 
he  organized  the  "First  Congregational  Church." 
Their  first  house  of  worship,  size  about  twenty-four 
by  forty  feet,  was  built  on  the  corner  of  Jackson  and 
Virginia  streets,  and  was  dedicated  February  10, 
1850;  four  months  after  the  dedication  of  our  chapel 
on  Powell-street.  They  subsequently  built  a  brick 
church  on  the  corner  of  California  and  Dupont 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  63 

streets,  where  they  now  have  a  flourishing  society 
and  Sunday  school,  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Rev. 
Mr.  Lacy,  Mr.  Hunt  having  returned  to  the  State  of 
New- York. 

The  steamship  California,  which  arrived  in  San 
Francisco,  February  28,  1819,  brought  four  mission 
aries  from  New- York,  namely,  Rev.  O.  C.  Wheeler, 
a  Baptist,  Rev.  S.  Woodbridge,  an  Old  School  Pres 
byterian,  Rev.  J.  W.  Douglass,  and  Rev.  S.  H.  Wil- 
ley,  both  New  School  Presbyterians. 

Rev.  O.  C.  WHEELER  immediately  commenced 
operations  in  San  Francisco,  and  on  June  24, 
1849,  organized  the  "First  Baptist  Church."  They 
soon  afterward  built  a  church  on  Washington-street, 
between  Dupont  and  Stockton  streets,  size  about 
thirty  by  fifty  feet,  which  was  the  first  Protestant 
church  built  in  California.  They  have  since  erected 
a  brick  edifice  on  the  same  site,  in  which  Rev.  B. 
Brierly  officiates  as  pastor,  Rev.  Mr.  Wheeler  having 
gone  to  Sacramento  City. 

Rev.  S.  WOODBRIDGE  established  a  Church  in  Beni- 
cia,  where  he  still  resides  as  pastor.  He  was  chaplain 
of  the  California  Legislature,  during  the  sojourn 
of  that  migratory  institution  in  Benicia  ;  for  the  loca 
tion  of  the  State  Legislature  was,  for  several  years, 
one  among  the  ten  thousand  contingences  of  Cali 
fornia  life.  San  Jose  was  first  fixed  by  law  as  the 
capital  of  the  state.  Subsequently  General  M.  G. 


64  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

Yallejo,  a  wealthy  Castilian,  himself  one  of  the  legis 
lators,  living  north  of  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco, 
offered,  I  believe,  nearly  half  ti  million  of  dollars  for 
public  buildings,  etc.,  if  they  would  locate  the  capital 
in  a  city  bearing  his  name,  to  be  laid  out,  and  built 
on  the  shore  of  "  E~apa  Straits,"  opposite  Mare 
Island,  where  the  Pacific  Navy  Yard  is  now  located. 
His  proposition  was  accepted,  and  the  next  session 
of  the  Legislature  appointed  to  be  held  in  the  new 
city  that  was  to  spring  up  during  the  year.  The 
magnificent  paper  "  City  of  Yallejo  "  was  forthwith 
surveyed  and  plotted,  containing  beautiful  parks, 
and  all  the  modern  improvements,  and  a  rare  oppor 
tunity  for  investment  afforded  to  everybody  wTho 
wished  to  be  property  holders  in  the  great  metropo 
lis  of  the  state. 

The  next  year,  when  the  law-makers  assembled  in 
the  new  capital,  they  were  not  exactly  satisfied  with 
the  new  State  House,  nor  the  accomodations  afforded 
by  the  town  for  their  comfort ;  in  short,  they  believed 
that  the  general  had  not  fulfilled  his  contract  with 
them,  and  about  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  his 
offer  was  predicated  on  the  sale  of  city  property, 
which  had  not  been  so  productive  as  was  anticipated, 
and  they  did  not  feel  like  waiting  till  the  money 
could  be  made  in  that  way. 

Benicia,  a  rival  town  seven  miles  distant  from 
Yallejo,  then  put  in  a  bid  for  the  job  of  accommodat- 


MISSIONAKY   LIFE.  65 

ing  that  honorable  body,  and  through  some  log 
rolling  process  succeeded.  Benicia  was  then  the  per 
manent  capital  of  the  state,  and  her  real  estate 
commanded  good  prices.  San  Jose",  however,  still 
claimed  by  constitutional  right  to  be  the  capital ;  but 
nobody  could  answer  the  simple  question,  "  Which 
is  the  capital  of  California?"  After  a  tremendous 
amount  of  heaving  on  the  political  windlass,  the 
government  anchors  were  weighed,  and  the  Legisla 
ture  permanently  moored  in  Sacramento  City.  Land 
speculators  made  a  capital  thing  out  of  these  re 
movals  of  the  capitol ;  but  the  expense  to  the  state 
was  enormous,  beyond  my  present  means  of  compu 
tation,  and  many  a  poor  fellow  who  wanted  a  home 
in  the  State  capital  was  badly  taken  in. 

Rev.  J.  W.  DOUGLASS  preached  a  year  or  two  in 
San  Jose",  and  afterward  became  editor  and  pub 
lisher  of  "The  Pacific,"  a  religious  paper  published 
in  San  Francisco.  Mr.  Douglass  subsequently  re 
turned  to  New-York,  and  the  said  paper  is  now 
edited  by  Rev.  Mr.  Brayton. 

Rev.  S.  H.  WILLEY  landed  at  Monterey,  and  re 
mained  there  a  year  and  a  half.  During  his  stay 
there  the  convention  that  framed  the  State  Constitu 
tion  met  in  Monterey,  and  Mr.  Willey  officiated  as 
chaplain.  He  subsequently  went  to  San  Francisco, 
and  organized  the  "  The  Second  Presbyterian  Church  " 
in  that  city,  of  which  he  is  still  pastor. 


66  CALIFOENIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

Rev.  ALBERT  WILLIAMS  arrived  in  San  Francisco,  in 
the  steamship  Oregon,  April  1,  1849.  After  preach 
ing  a  few  times  in  the  public  school-house  on  the 
Plaza,  he  organized,  on  the  20th  of  May,  the  "  First 
Presbyterian  Church,"  composed  at  that  time  of  six 
members.  On  the  west  side  of  Dupont-street,  be 
tween  Pacific-street  and  Broadway,  they  pitched  a 
large  tent,  "  which  had  been  the  marquee  of  a  mili 
tary  company  in  Boston,  and  in  it  during  the  remain 
der  of  the  dry  season  of  1849  they  statedly  held  their 
meetings.  It  was  plainly  but  neatly  furnished  with 
matting,  pulpit,  seats,  and  seraphine,  and  afforded 
accommodations  for  about  two  hundred  persons." 
Mr.  Williams  also  taught  a  small  school  in  this  tent. 
Their  first  church  was  built  on  Stockton-street,  near 
the  corner  of  Broadway,  and  was  dedicated  on  the 
19th  of  January,  1851.  The  materials  had  been  pur 
chased  and  framed  by  the  liberality  of  friends  in 
New-York,  so  the  society  in  San  Francisco  had  to  pay 
nothing  on  the  materials,  except  the  freight  from  New- 
York,  the  respectable  little  item  of  three  thousand 
dollars ;  and  putting  up  and  finishing  the  church  cost 
ten  thousand  dollars  more.  It  was  of  the  early  Gothic 
style  of  architecture,  thirty-five  feet  wide  by  seventy- 
five  feet  in  depth,  and  would  seat  eight  hundred  per 
sons.  So  Mr.  "Williams,  after  waiting  more  than  a 
year  and  a  half,  had  now  the  best  church  in  the  state, 
and  a  good  congregation.  They,  however,  enjoyed 


MISSIONARY    LITE.  6*7 

their  fine  house  but  five  months,  when  the  sixth  great 
San  Francisco  fire  laid  it  in  ashes.  By  the  12th  of 
October,  1851,  they  had  another,  though  a  very  plain 
one,  ready  for  use  on  the  same  site,  which  still  stands, 
and  is  now  occupied  by  the  same  society  under  the 
pastoral  care  of  Rev.  Dr  Anderson,  Mr.  Williams 
having  returned  to  the  East. 

Rev.  J.  A.  BENTON,  Congregationalist,  arrived  in 
the  summer  of  1849,  and  organized  a  church  in  Sac 
ramento  City,  of  which  he  is  still  the  pastor. 

Rev.  F.  S.  MINES,  an  Episcopal  clergyman,  also 
arrived  in  the  summer  of  1849,  and  organized  "Trin 
ity  Church,"  the  first  of  his  denomination  in  Cali 
fornia.  They  built  a  small  chapel  next  door  north 
of  the  Methodist  chapel  on  Powell-street,  which  was 
ready  foi  use  about  January  1st,  1850.  They  after 
ward  sold  out  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Prevaux,  Baptist 
minister,  for  an  academy,  which  he  successfully 
established,  and  built  of  corrugated  iron  a  more 
commodious  church  on  Pine-street,  between  Mont 
gomery  and  Kearney-streets. 

Mr.  Mines  died  in  1852,  the  only  clergyman  who 
has  ever  deceased  in  that  city.  Rev.  Dr.  Wyatt  is 
his  successor. 

Rev.  Dr.  YEKMEHK,  also  an  Episcopal  clergyman, 
arrived,  via  Cape  Horn,  a  few  days  before  I  did,  in 
September,  1849.  He  organized  "Grace  Parish"  in 
April,  1850.  "Grace  Chapel"  was  opened  for  wor- 


68  CALIFOKNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

ship  on  December  30th,  1849,  on  Powell-street,  about 
one  square  north  of  "Trinity  Church."  It  was 
superseded  by  a  commodious  wood  edifice  near 
the  same  site,  which  was  opened  in  July,  1851. 
Dr.  Yermehr  afterward  took  charge  of  a  school  in 
Souora,  and  was  succeeded  by  Bishop  Kip. 

Of  these  pioneer  missionaries,  the  two  Episcopal 
clergymen  named,  and  the  Kev.  Messrs.  Hunt, 
Wheeler,  and  Williams,  were,  as  before  stated,  the 
only  pastors  established  in  San  Francisco  on  my 
arrival ;  and  with  the  two  exceptions  before  men 
tioned,  they  received  me  with  a  cordial  greeting 
as  a  co-laborer  with  them  in  the  great  work  of 
evangelization  in  California.  I  know  not  that  a 
discordant  note  was  ever  struck  to  disturb  the  har 
mony  of  our  mutual  friendly  relations.  As  evidence 
of  the  fraternal  feelings  existing  between  us,  we  all 
dedicated  our  respective  churches  at  twelve  M., 
to  afford  the  other  congregations  opportunity  to  get 
through  with  their  regular  morning  services  in  time 
for  the  people  to  attend,  and  the  ministers  to  par 
ticipate  in  the  dedicatory  services.  We  also  in 
those  days  had  a  ministers'  meeting  every  Monday 
morning,  where  we  prayed  for  each  other,  and 
for  our  respective  charges,  and  exchanged  words 
of  mutual  comfort  and  encouragement.  We  also 
discussed  questions  of  general  interest,  and  project 
ed  plans  for  promoting  our  common  cause  in  Cal- 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  69 

ifornia;  for  example,  the  organization  of  a  "Stran 
gers'  Friend  Society."  The  winter  of  1849-50  was 
a  very  severe  one  for^that  climate,  and  especially  so 
because  the  people  were  but  very  poorly  provided 
with  shelter  to  protect  them  from  the  heavy  rain 
storms.  Provisions,  too,  were  scarce,  and  prices  enor 
mously  high ;  many,  too,  were  without  money,  and 
friendless ;  consequently  there  was  a  vast  amount  of 
suffering  and  sickness,  of  which  many  died. 

For  the  relief  of  destitute  and  sick  strangers,  the 
"Strangers'  Friend  Society"  was  organized  in  our 
church  in  Powell-street,  about  February  1st,  1850. 
Brothers  Hunt,  Wheeler,  and  Williams,  with  their 
congregations,  all  took  an  active  part  in  this  society, 
and  it  was  the  means  of  affording  temporary  relief 
to  many  sufferers.  The  society  was  not  continued 
beyond  the  emergences  of  that  winter;  but  another 
important  movement  grew  out  of  it,  which,  if  it  had 
been  successful  in  the  accomplishment  of  its  ends, 
would  have  resulted  in  great  good  to  the  city,  and 
to  thousands  of  sick  strangers. 

The  principle  of  farming  out  the  care  of  the  sick 
to  the  lowest  bidder,  on  which  the  city  fathers  were 
acting,  was  deplored  by  reflecting  men  as  a  great 
evil.  The  city  was  then  paying  five  dollars  per 
day  for  the  care  of  each  charity  patient.  The  physi 
cian's  honesty  and  sympathy  might  lead  him  to 
give  to  each  patient  five  dollars'  worth  of  attention, 


YO  CALIFOENIA  LIFE  ILLUSTRATED. 

or  his  cupidity  might  restrict  him  to  one  dollar's 
worth  of  care  to  each  patient,  and  cause  the  other 
four  dollars  to  go  into  his  own  pocket.  Such  was 
thought  by  many  to  be  too  great  a  temptation  to  set 
before  even  an  honest  California  doctor. 

At  a  public  meeting  of  "The  Strangers'  Friend 
Society,"  at  the  Baptist  Church,  on  the  19th  of  Feb 
ruary,  1850,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  draft  and 
present  a  memorial  to  the  City  Council,  praying  for 
the  erection  by  the  city  of  a  charity  hospital.  The 
committee  consisted  of  the  Revs.  Wheeler,  Hunt, 
Williams,  and  J.  B.  Bond,  E.  Townsend,  Dr.  Logan, 
and  myself.  The  committee,  after  various  meetings, 
prepared  their  memorial,  to  which  was  appended  a 
plan  illustrating  the  character  of  the  contemplated 
hospital,  and  a  constitution  for  its  government,  all  of 
which  were  duly  presented  to  the  City  Council.  The 
city  fathers  seemed  well  pleased  with  our  suggestions 
and  plans,  and  said  it  would  be  just  the  thing  needed 
if  they  had  the  money  to  carry  it  into  effect ;  but,  for 
want  of  funds,  they  respectfully  declined  to  act. 
They,  however,  continued  to  pay  out  from  four 
hundred  to  six  hundred  dollars  per  day  for  the  care 
of  the  sick,  even  -  at  the  reduced  rate  of  four  dollars 
per  day  each  patient.  It  was  not  many  months 
until  a  debt  of  sixty-four  thousand  dollars  hung  over 
the  city  for  the  care  of  her  sick  strangers,  for  the 
recovery  of  which  suit  was  instituted  and  a  judg- 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  71 

ment  given  against  the  city,  under  which  at  least 
two  million  dollars'  worth  of  city  property  was  sacri 
ficed;  enough  to  have  built  half  a  dozen  charity 
hospitals,  and  to  have  supported  them  by  endowment 
for  fifty  years.  But  though  our  memorial  was  not 
honored  by  the  City  Council,  it  had  a  manifestly 
good  effect  on  the  management  of  the  city  hospital, 
by  calling  general  attention  to  the  subject  of  hospital 
abuses.  The  fears  of  those  concerned  in  it  were 
excited,  their  movements  were  watched  more  closely 
by  their  employ ers  and  by  the  public  generally,  and 
the  sick  consequently  received  better  attention. 

Another  work  in  which  we  had  hearty  concert  of 
action,  was  the  organization  of  the  Bible  Society,  of 
which  the  "Annals  of  San  Francisco,"  a  book  full 
of  valuable  historical  matter,  published  by  Appleton 
&  Co.,  is  ew- York,  has  the  following  notice : 

"  On  October  30th,  1849,  a  meeting  of  citizens 
friendly  to  the  formation  of  a  'Bible  Society,'  was 
held  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Powell- 
street,  at  which  Rev.  T.  Dwight  Hunt  presided,  and 
Mr.  Frederic  Billings  acted  as  secretary.  Addresses 
were  delivered  by  F.  Buel,  agent  of  the  '  American 
Bible  Society,'  Messrs.  F.  Billings,  and  W.  W. 
Caldwell ;  and  on  motion  of  Mr.  William  K.  Wards- 
worth,  the  '  San  Francisco  Bible  Society,'  auxiliary 
to  the  'American  Bible  Society,'  was  organized,  a 
constitution  adopted,  and  the  following  officers 

5 


72  CALIFOKNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTEATED. 

chosen,  whom  we  recognize  as  the  early  laborers  on 
this  field,  and  who,  with  characteristic  zeal,  frankly 
joined  hands,  irrespective  of  sect  or  denomina 
tion  :  President,  John  M.  Findley ;  vice-presi 
dents,  Kev.  Dr.  Yer  Mehr,  Kev.  Albert  Williams, 
and  Kev.  William  Taylor ;  treasurer,  W.  W.  Cald- 
well;  secretary,  Frederic  Buel.  Since  its  organi 
zation  the  society  has  been  steadily  engaged  in  its 
appropriate  work  of  supplying  the  Scriptures  to  the 
citizens  of  the  state,  and  has  issued  from  its  deposit 
ory  about  ten  thousand  volumes,  [1854,]  in  the  differ 
ent  languages  spoken  in  the  state  and  adjacent 
territories,  the  majority  by  sale,  and  the  remainder 
by  donation  to  those  unable  to  purchase.  This 
institution  has  ably  commended  itself  to  the  spirit  of 
catholic  Christianity  by  the  universal  circulation  of 
that  book  within  which  its  doctrines  are  compre 
hended.  Other  societies,  for  the  same  purpose, 
established  in  the  interior,  have  materially  aided  this 
object. 

"The  depository  of  the  society  was  destroyed  by  fire 
on  the  morning  of  the  26th  of  April,  1853  ;  in  place 
of  which  a  new  fire-proof  brick  building  has  been 
erected  on  the  lot  belonging  to  the  society,  JSTo.  376 
Stockton-street,  between  Union  and  Green-streets. 

"The  officers  for  1854  are:  President,  Hon.  D.  O. 
Shattuck ;  vice-presidents,  Rev.  B.  Brierly,  Eev. 
M.  C.  Briggs,  and  Kev.  S.  H.  Willey;  secretary, 


MISSIONARY   LIFE.  73 

F.  Buel ;  treasurer,  E.  P.  Flint ;  executive  com 
mittee,  Colonel  D.  S.  Turner,  Major  A.  B.  Eaton, 
Nathaniel  Gray,  George  WydofF,  and  K.  P.  Spier." 

When  Colonel  M'Kee,  one  of  the  Indian  agents  ap 
pointed  by  the  government  at  Washington  to  treat 
with  the  California  Indians,  was  about  to  enter  upon 
the  discharge  of  his  duties,  he  came  to  our  ministers' 
meeting  to  consult  them  as  to  the  best  mode  of 
reaching  and  civilizing  the  red  men  of  the  Pacific. 
We  discussed  the  subject  at  large,  and  all  concurred 
in  the  views  of  the  colonel,  namely :  to  colonize  them 
on  reservations,  and  place  them  under  competent 
tutors,  appointed  by  government,  who  should  teach 
them  husbandry  and  mechanism,  and  protect  them 
against  the  rum-selling,  extortionary,  peddling  fra 
ternity  of  mean  white  men,  who  had  been  such  a 
curse  to  all  the  Indian  tribes  of  the  East ;  and  then, 
as  soon  as  practicable,  employ  teachers  to  teach 
them  science,  and  then  missionaries  to  teach  them 
salvation. 

Such  was,  in  substance,  the  plan  there  submitted 
and  concurred  in,  and  we  all  prayed  over  it,  and 
committed  it  to  the  care  of  the  red  man's  God  and 
ours. 

The  plan  has  met  with  much  opposition  from  three 
classes.  First,  from  the  Indian  exterminators,  who 
maintain  that  nothing  can  be  done  successfully  to 
elevate,  or  long  to  perpetuate  the  red  race;  that 


74  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

while  they  exist  they  will  ever  be  a  treacherous  and 
troublesome  foe,  and  therefore  the  sooner  they  are 
all  killed  off  the  better.  Second,  from  those  who 
are  jealous  of  the  Indian's  claim  to  the  little  tracts 
of  land  embraced  in  the  reservations;  and,  third, 
from  those  who  disapprove  of  government  interfer 
ence  with  the  Indian's  wild  mode  of  living  and  native 
liberty. 

Some  of  the  last  named  class  urge  their  objections 
no  doubt  from  honest  motives,  but  others  from 
selfishness,  because  the  plan,  if  properly  executed, 
will  debar  them  from  their  favorite  mode  of  taming 
and  civilizing  the  Indians,  namely,  by  selling  them 
rum,  and  robbing  them  of  their  furs  or  their  gold 
dust. 

But  the  colonization  plan,  notwithstanding  all 
opposition,  has,  for  the  time  it  has  been  in  opera 
tion,  been  successful  beyond  all  precedent  in  Indian 
history. 

In  October,  1856,  I  got  the  following  statistics  in 
San  Francisco,  in  the  office  of  Col.  T.  J.  Henly, 
superintendent  of  Indian  affairs  in  California : 

"  The  number  of  Indians  now  collected  and  resid 
ing  on  reservations  is,  at 

Klamath 2,500 

Nome  Lackee 2,000 

Mendocino 500 

Fresno . .  900 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  75 

Tejon YOO 

Nome  Cult  Valley,  attached  to  Nome  Lackee 3,000 

King's  River,  attached  to  Fresno 400 

"Making  in  all  ten  thousand.  The  number  of 
Indians  not  connected  with  the  reservations  cannot 
be  correctly  estimated.  The  following  statement  is 
made  up  from  the  most  reliable  information  I  have 
been  able  to  obtain  : 

On  and  attached  to  reservations,  as  above 10,000 

In  San  Diego  and  San  Barnardino  Counties 8,000 

Los  Angelos,  Santa  Barbara,  San  Luis  Obispo,  Mon 
terey,  Santa  Clara,  and  Santa  Cruz  Counties 2,000 

Tulara  and  Mariposa 2,500 

Tuolumne,   Calaveras,   San  Joaquin,   Alameda,   and 

Contra  Costa  Counties 4,100 

Sacramento,  Eldorado,  and  Placer  Counties 4,500 

Sutter,  Yuba,  Nevada,  and  Sierra  Counties 3,500 

Butte,  Shasta,  and  Siskiyou  Counties 5,500 

Klamath,  Humboldt,  and  Trinity  Counties 6,500 

Mendocino,  Colusi,  Yolo,  Napa,  Sonoma,  and  Marin 

Counties 1,500 

"  Making  the  total  number  of  Indians  within  this 
superintendence  sixty-one  thousand  six  hundred." 

I  learn  that  during  the  year  1857  another  thousand 
Indians  have  been  gathered  in,  and  settled  on  the 
reservations.  To  illustrate  the  practical  operation  of 
this  plan  of  colonization  I  here  insert  the  following 
testimony  concerning  the  Nome  Lackee  Eeservation, 


76  CALIFOROTA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

from  the  official  report  of  Mr.  Charles  E.  Fisher,  the 
assessor  for  Tehama  County  : 

"  I  cannot  close  this  report  without  speaking  of  the 
healthy  and  nourishing  condition  of  Nome  Lackee 
Reservation,  which  is  situated  twenty  miles  west  of 
the  Sacramento  Eiver,  at  the  foot  of  the  Coast 
Cange.  Under  the  management  of  Y.  E.  Geiger,  it 
is  in  a  more  flourishing  condition  than  ever  before. 
Mr.  Geiger  is  much  beloved  by  the  Indians,  and 
keeps  them  under  the  strictest  discipline ;  but  still 
they  are  contented  and  happy.  Between  thirty  and 
forty  thousand  bushels  of  grain  were  raised  on  the 
reservation  this  year,  the  work  being  all  done  by 
the  Indians.  Under  the  management  of  Mr.  Geiger 
it  will  be  but  a  short  time  till  all  the  Indians  in  the 
northern  part  of  California  will  be  safely  settled  on 
the  reserve." 

I  am  sorry  to  say  that  the  plan,  so  far  as  it  relates 
to  schools,  and  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  among 
the  Indians  on  the  reservations,  has  not  as  yet  been 
carried  into  effect.  I  hope  it  will  be  very  soon ;  for, 
however  dull  the  parents  may  be,  the  children  are 
bright,  and  capable  of  elevation.  O  how  my  heart 
has  bled  for  them,  as  I  have  witnessed  their  sports, 
and  listened  to  their  merry  shouts,  as  they  skipped 
over  the  hills!  I  loved  them  as  myself,  being  niy 
brethren;  and  longed  to  see  them  enjoy  my  privi 
leges  of  enlightenment  and  salvation. 


MISSI01STAKY   LIFE. 


CHAPTER  III. 

MISSIONAKY   LIFE CO^TE^UED. 

As  we  before  stated,  Rev.  William  Roberts  organ 
ized  a  small  class  in  San  Francisco,  in  the  summer  of 
1847,  which  was  reorganized  in  the  spring  of  1849, 
by  Brother  Asa  "White. 

The  first  quarterly  meeting  in  California  was  held 
in  our  chapel  on  Powell-street.  It  commenced  by 
the  organization  of  a  quarterly  conference,  on  Satur 
day  night,  December  2,  1849.  John  Troubody, 
Alexander  Hatler,  and  "Willet  M'Cord  were  elected 
stewards.  Resolutions  were  passed,  expressing 
thanks  to  the  Missionary  Board  for  sending  them  a 
missionary,  and  pledging  themselves  for  his  support, 
beyond  the  appropriation  they  had  already  made. 
The  said  new  board  of  stewards  fixed  my  salary  and 
table  expenses  at  two  thousand  dollars  per  year,  in 
cluding  the  missionary  appropriation  of  seven  hun 
dred  and  fifty  dollars,  I  finding  and  furnishing  my 
own  house. 

On  the  Sunday  of  our  quarterly  meeting  Rev.  J. 
Doane,  missionary,  en  route  to  Oregon,  preached  at 


78  CALIFOKNIA   LITE   ILLUSTKATED. 

eleven  o'clock  A.  M.  That  morning  I  announced 
that  I  would  preach  at  three  o'clock  P.  M,  on  the 
Plaza.  It  was  a  startling  announcement,  which 
greatly  excited  the  fears  of  some  of  the  brethren  ;  for 
nearly  all  the  gamblers  in  the  city  were  located 
round  the  Plaza,  in  the  best  houses  the  city  afforded. 

An  idea  of  the  prestige  of  the  gambling  fraternity, 
and  the  magnificence  of  their  saloons  in  those  days, 
may  be  obtained  from  the  accompanying  cut,  repre 
senting,  to  the  life,  the  interior  of  the  El  Dorado,  a 
large  gambling-house,  at  the  northeast  corner  of  the 
Plaza.  The  tables,  loaded  with  gold  and  silver,  you 
cannot  see  for  the  multitude  ;  but  in  the  rear  end  of 
the  sa]oon  you  see,  elevated  on  a  stage,  a  band  of  the 
best  musicians  the  country  could  furnish,  sending 
forth  their  melody  in  such  sweetness  and  variety  as 
to  crowd  the  house,  and  hold  in  admiration  the  pro 
miscuous  masses  in  the  streets.  I  have  heard  them 
sing  and  play,  "  Home,  sweet,  sweet  home,"  till 
homeless  wanderers,  by  hundreds,  would  stand  en 
tranced,  seeming  to  live  for  a  time  in  the  embrace  of 
loved  ones,  surrounded  by  all  the  sweet  associations 
of  the  past.  Alas!  it  was  but  the  song  of  the 
siren. 

On  the  right  may  be  seen  the  beautifully  orna 
mented  bar,  with  splendid  mirrors  in  the  rear,  around 
which  many  a  jolly  circle  of  hopeful  young  prodigals 
drank  to  each  other's  health  the  deadly  draught. 


I  N  T  E  K  I  O  K     OF     THE     EL     DORADO. 


MISSIONARY   LIFE.  81 

Such  places  were  crowded,  especially  on  Sunday, 
with  men  of  all  nations,  the  most  daring  and  reck 
less,  perhaps,  in  the  world ;  and  such  was  their 
dominant  influence,  that  when  they  shot  a  man  dead, 
as  they  frequently  did,  there  were  no  arrests,  and 
nothing  said,  but  that  "  C.  B.  was  killed  last  night  in 
the  Parker  House." 

v*""  The  brethren  knew  that  if  the  gamblers  should  * 
regard  my  attempt  to  preach  on  the  Plaza,  thrilling 
every  one  of  their  saloons  with  the  echoes  of  an  un 
welcome  Gospel,  as  an  interference  with  their  busi 
ness,  and  should  shoot  me  down,  there  would  be  no 
redress.  It  would  simply  be  said,  "The  gamblers 
killed  a  Methodist  preacher."  At  the  appointed 
time  I  was  on  the  Plaza,  accompanied  by  Mrs.  T. 
and  a  few  friends.  I  got  Mrs.  T.  a  chair,  and  put 
her  in  care  of  Dr.  B.  Miller,  and  appropriated  a 
carpenter's  workbench,  which  stood  in  front  of  the 
largest  gambling-saloon  in  the  place,  as  my  pulpit. 
At  that  moment  Clarkson  Dye,  thinking  I  might 
need  some  protection  against  the  rays  of  the  burning 
sun,  went  across  to  Brown's  Hotel,  and  asked  for  the 
loan  of  an  umbrella  to  hold  over  the  preacher.  He 
was  met  with  the  reply :  "  I  won't  let  my  umbrella  be 
used  for  such  a  purpose,  but  if  I  had  some  rotten 
eggs  I'd  give  them  to  him."  He  had  to  pay  nine 
dollars  per  dozen  for  eggs,  and  couldn't  afford  to 
throw  them  at  the  preacher. 


82  CALIFOKNIA   LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

Taking  my  stand  on  the  work-bench  I  sang 

"  Hear  the  royal  proclamation, 

The  glad  tidings  of  salvation, 

Publishing  to  every  creature, 

To  the  ruin'd  sons  of  nature. 
Jesus  reigns,  he  reigns  victorious 
Over  heaven  and  earth  most  glorious, 
Jesus  reigns ! 

"  See  the  royal  banner  flying, 
Hear  the  heralds  loudly  crying, 
Eebel  sinner,  royal  favor 
Now  is  offer'd  by  the  Saviour. 
Jesus  reigns,  etc. 

"  Hear,  ye  sons  of  wrath  and  ruin, 
Who  have  wrought  your  own  undoing ; 
Here  is  life,  and  free  salvation, 
Offer'd  to  the  whole  creation. 
Jesus  reigns,  etc. 

"  'Twas  for  you  that  Jesus  died, 
For  you  he  was  crucified, 
Conquer'd  death,  and  rose  to  heaven, 
Life  eternal's  through  him  given. 
Jesus  reigns,  etc. 

"  Here  is  wine,  and  milk,  and  honey, 
Come  and  purchase  without  money ; 
Mercy,  like  a  flowing  fountain, 
Streaming  from  the  holy  mountain. 
Jesus  reigns,  etc. 


MISSION AKY    LIFE.  83 

"  For  this  love,  let  rocks  and  mountains, 
Purling  streams  and  crystal  fountains, 
Roaring  thunders,  lightning  blazes 
Shout  the  great  Messiah's  praises. 
Jesus  reigns,  etc. 

"  Turn  unto  the  Lord  most  holy, 
Shun  the  paths  of  sin  and  folly ; 
Turn,  or  you  are  lost  forever, 
O  now  turn  to  God  your  Saviour ! 
Jesus  reigns,  etc." 

By  the  time  the  song  ended,  I  was  surrounded  by 
about  one  thousand  men.  Kestless  hundreds,  always 
ready  for  the  cry,  "A  whale !  a  whale  !"  or  any  other 
wonder  under  the  sun,  came  running  from  every 
direction,  and  the  gambling-houses  were  almost  va 
cated. 

I  had  crossed  the  Rubicon,  and  now  came  the  tug 
of  war.  Said  I,  "Gentlemen,  if  our  friends  in  the 
Atlantic  states,  with  the  views  and  feelings  they  en 
tertained  of  California  society  when  I  left  them,  had 
heard  that  there  was  to  be  preaching  this  afternoon 
on  Portsmouth  Square,  in  San  Francisco,  they  would 
have  predicted  disorder,  confusion,  and  riot ;  but  we 
who  are  here  believe  very  differently.  One  thing  is 
certain,  there  is  no  man  who  loves  to  see  those  stars 
and  stripes  floating  on  the  breeze,  (pointing  to  the 
waving  flag  of  our  Union,)  and  who  loves  the  institu 
tions  fostered  under  them ;  in  a  word,  there  is  no  true 


84  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

American  but  will  observe  order  under  "the  preach 
ing  of  God's  word  anywhere,  and  maintain  it  if  need 
be.  "We  shall  have  order,  gentlemen.  Your  favorite 
rule  in  arithmetic  is  the  rule  of  '  loss  and  gain.'  In 
your  tedious  voyage  round  the  Horn,  or  your  weari 
some  journey  over  the  plains,  or  your  hurried  passage 
across  the  Isthmus,  and  during  the  few  months  of 
your  sojourn  in  California,  you  have  been  figuring 
under  this  rule;  losses  and  gains  have  constituted 
the  theme  of  your  thoughts  and  calculations.  ISTow 
I  wish  most  respectfully  to  submit  to  you  a  question 
under  your  favorite  rule.  I  want  you  to  employ  all 
the  mathematical  power  and  skill  you  can  command, 
and  patiently  work  out  the  mighty  problem.  The 
question  may  be  found  in  the  twenty-sixth  verse  of 
the  sixteenth  chapter  of  our  Lord's  Gospel  by  St. 
Matthew.  Shall  I  announce  it  ?  '  What  is  a  man 
profited  if  he  shall  gain  the  whole  world,  and  lose 
his  own  soul  ?' ': 

Every  man  present  was  a  "true  American"  for 
that  hour.  Perfect  order  was  observed,  and  pro 
found  attention  given  to  every  sentence  of  the  ser 
mon  that  followed.  That  was  our  first  assault  upon 
the  enemy  in  the  open  field  in  San  Francisco,  and 
the  commencement  of  a  seven  years'  campaign, 
which  is  illustrated  in  my  book  on  "  Street  Preach 
ing  in  San  Francisco."  I  preached  in  the  chapel 
that  evening  to  a  crowded  house,  and  four  men 


MISSIONAEY    LIFE.  85 

presented  themselves  at  the  altar  as  seekers  of  sal 
vation. 

I  preached  every  night  during  that  week,  and 
three  persons  professed  to  experience  religion ;  the 
tirst  revival  meeting  in  California.  The  little  society 
was  greatly  refreshed,  and  especially  encouraged  by 
the  fact  that  God  could  and  did  convert  sinners  in 
that  land  of  gold  and  crime,  a  thing  almost  as  incred 
ible,  even  among  Christians,  at  that  time  in  California 
as  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection  among  the  Saddu- 
cees.  We  had,  upon  the  whole,  though  minus  a 
presiding  elder,  a  good  old-fashioned  quarterly  meet 
ing,  never  to  be  forgotten. 

During  the  fall  of  184:9  we  had  but  one  class, 
which  met  every  Sunday  at  three  o'clock  P.  M. 
It  contained  but  about  thirty  members ;  the  meet 
ings,  however,  were  swelled  by  a  constant  stream  of 
immigrating  Methodism,  to  an  average  attendance  of 
sixty  persons,  and  frequently  numbering  as  high  as 
ninety.  "We  had  but  very  few  females,  a  lack  we 
keenly  felt ;  for  the  great  man,  Moses,  could  not  get 
along  well  without  a  sister  to  help  him ;  and  the  Great 
Prophet,  of  whom  Moses  was  a  type,  needed  Marys 
and  Marthas,  and  Joannas,  who  stood  by  him,  '  mid 
shame  and  scorn,'  to  the  death,  the  last  to  listen  to 
his  dying  groans,  the  first  to  hail  his  welcome  rising, 
and  bear  the  coronation  tidings  of  the  King  of  Glory 
to  their  poor,  frightened,  desponding  brethren. 


86  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

"What  could  the  great  apostle  to  the  Gentiles  have 
done  but  for  the  help  of  Phebe,  Priscilla,  and  others, 
of  whom  he  says  :  "I  entreat  thee  also,  true  yoke 
fellow,  help  those  women  which  labored  with  me  in 
the  Gospel,  whose  names  are  in  the  book  of  life." 
But  there,  in  California,  we  had  to  do  the  best  we 
could  with  the  assistance  of  but  very  few  sisters.  I 
had  one,  thank  the  Lord,  who  stood  by  me  in  every 
battle ;  but  in  a  class- meeting  of  ninety  persons  we 
could  number  only  two  or  three  ladies.  Yet  we  had 
glorious  meetings  notwithstanding,  for  they  all  had 
mothers,  wives,  or  sisters  far  away,  whose  influence 
followed  them  across  the  continent,  and  over  oceans, 
and  there,  vibrating  on  every  nerve,  stirred  the 
tender  sensibilities  of  their  souls,  and  caused  them,  on 
the  utterance  of  that  sweet  but  mighty  word  HOME, 
to  weep  like  children.  By  a  rapid  association  of 
kindred  thoughts  their  minds  were  carried  forward 
to  the  longed  for  meeting  again  with  distant  loved 
ones,  and  the  possible  doubt  of  not  meeting  them 
again  on  mortal  shores,  led  them  to  the  anticipation 
of  the  glorious  meeting  of  friends  on  the  shores 
of  immortality,  and  the  inseparable  and  unceasing 
friendships  of  a  home  in  heaven.  Their  uplifted 
hands,  streaming  eyes,  and  joyous  shouts  told  of  their 
far-reaching  hope  and  faith,  which  pierced  through 
the  darkness  of  death,  and  fixed  their  unclouded 
gaze  on  the  glories  of  God's  own  home,  and  theirs. 


MISSIONARY   LIFE.  87 

Those  class-meetings,  composed  of  Christian  adven 
turers  from  every  land,  were  intellectual,  social,  and 
religious  feasts,  full  of  heaven  and  glory.  I  never 
expect  to  see  any  more  exactly  like  them.  In  that 
infant  society  there  were  some  noble  men ;  I  will 
here  notice  a  few  of  them. 

ASA  WHITE,  now  past  the  meridian  of  life,  a  hardy 
sun-tanned  pioneer  of  the  woods,  was  a  man  of  good 
common  sense,  and  very  generous  heart,  a  local 
preacher  of  moderate  abilities,  a  good  exhorter,  full 
of  fire.  He  had  three  married  daughters  with  him 
at  that  time,  who,  with  his  good  wife  and  two  of  his 
sons-in-law,  were  all  zealous  Methodists.  They 
could  have  a  good  meeting  any  time,  whether  any 
body  else  came  or  not.  They  were  closely  bound 
together  as  a  family  band,  by  mutual  confidence  and 
ardent  affection,  and  could  have  made  a  fortune,  and 
done  a  great  deal  of  good  in  almost  any  place  in 
California,  had  they  settled  down ;  but  they  had 
been  pioneers  all  their  lives,  moving  westward  in  the 
van  of  early  emigration,  and  having  reached  the 
western  limit  of  the  continent,  they  spent  their 
time  in  moving  up  and  down  the  shore,  now  in 
Oregon,  now  in  California,  then  again  to  Oregon, 
then  back  again  to  California,  men,  women,  and 
children,  all  of  the  same  mind,  and  all  moving 
together.  They  seemed,  by  their  constant  migra 
tions,  to  say  :  "  O  that  we  had  a  new  continent  of 


88  CALIFOKNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTEATED. 

unbroken  forests,  unscathed  by  the  axe  of  civiliza 
tion,  well  stocked  with  Indians,  panthers,  wildcats, 
bear,  deer,  elk,  raccoons,  and  opossums,  that  we 
might  spend  our  days  in  crossing  it,  and  entertain 
ourselves  in  shooting  game,  felling  timber,  building 
log  cabins,  and  in  surprising  pioneer  Methodist 
preachers  with  our  backwoods  refinement  and  extra 
ordinary  sympathy  and  kindness. 

ALFRED  LOVE,  the  unconverted  son  in-law  in  the 
family,  came  the  nearest  making  a  permanent  settle 
ment  in  California  of  any  of  them.  He  was  a  very 
kind-hearted  fellow,  a  sincere  friend  to  the  cause  of 
religion,  and  I  often  tried  to  persuade  him  to  be 
reconciled  to  God.  He  admitted  the  truth  of  all  I 
said,  but  still  pursued  his  own  course. 

One  day  he  went  out  into  the  mountains  alone  to 
take  a  hunt.  In  working  his  way  through  a  chaperel 
thicket,  he  suddenly  stumbled  on  a  huge  grizzly 
bear.  The  grizzly  put  after  him  at  full  speed. 
Alfred  dropped  his  gun,  and  ran  for  life,  but  soon 
perceived  by  the  cracking  of  the  brush  behind  him, 
and  the  heavy  footfall  of  old  bruin,  that  he  was 
rapidly  gaining  on  him.  His  course  led  him  across 
a  deep  ravine,  in  the  bottom  of  which  was  a  deep 
cut  washed  out  by  the  winter  torrents.  He  had  no 
time  to  get  round  it,  and  in  attempting  to  jump 
across  the  cut,  his  foot  slipped,  and  down  he  fell  to 
the  bottom.  As  he  struck,  the  terrors  of  death  got 


MISSION  ABY.    LIFE.  89 

hold  of  him,  and  he  found  trouble  and  sorrow. 
There  was  no  hope  in  further  effort,  so  he  lay  in 
motionless  affright,  expecting  the  grizzly  to  separate 
his  joints  within  a  minute.  Happily  for  him  the 
bear  leaped  the  cut  right  over  him,  and  went  on  his 
course,  I  suppose  wondering  what  had  become  of  his 
man.  After  the  bear  passed  out  of  sight,  Alfred 
crawled  out,  and  made  tracks  in  the  opposite  direction. 

I  heard  him  say  afterward:  "While  I  lay  there 
every  moment  expecting  the  bear  to  jump  on  me,  I 
was  so  sorry  I  had  not  taken  Mr.  Taylor's  advice,  and 
given  my  heart  to  the  Lord,  while  I  had  opportu 
nity  ;  but  I  thought  it  was  all  over  with  me  then." 

JOHN  TKOUBODY  is  by  birth  an  Englishman,  but 
crossed  the  water  with  his  wife  in  early  manhood. 
He  lived  a  while  in  Pennsylvania ;  then  in  Missouri ; 
and  moved  across  the  plains  to  California  in  1817,  or 
1848.  He  appears  to  be  a  slow  man  in  everything, 
but  he  steps  so  cautiously  and  constantly,  that  he 
always  comes  out  about  even  with  the  fastest  in  every 
race.  He  has  acquired  a  handsome  property  in  Cali 
fornia.  A  man  of  unbending  religious  integrity,  a 
true  friend  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and 
has  never  forgotten  "  the  rock  whence  he  was  hewn, 
nor  the  hole  of  the  pit  whence  he  was  digged." 
His  wife  was  also  a  member  of  the  Church,  and 
their  house  may  be  set  down,  I  think,  as  the  first 
Methodist  preacher's  home  in  California. 

6 


90  CALIFORNIA   LITE   ILLUSTKATED. 

WILLET  M'CoRD,  from  Sing  Sing,  New- York,  was 
by  no  means  a  noisy  Methodist.  He  always  had  on 
hand  a  dish  of  wit  and  pleasantry  for  the  social 
circle,  and  was  always  in  his  place  in  the  class-room 
and  prayer-meeting. 

L.  F.  BUDD  was  a  remarkably  simple-hearted, 
inoffensive,  conscientious  brother,  of  generous,  re 
fined  feelings,  and  stern  integrity.  He  had  spent 
several  years  in  Costa  Rica,  Central  America,  as 
commercial  agent  for  some  mercantile  firm,  and  was 
instrumental  in  leading  a  wealthy  coffee  planter  there 
to  Christ.  This  planter  corresponded  regularly  with 
Brother  Budd  in  San  Francisco.  I  used  to  read  his 
letters  with  great  interest.  They  were  full  of  spirit 
and  life,  and  earnest  prayers  for  the  redemption  of 
the  Central  American  states  from  the  chains  of  sin 
and  superstition.  I  am  sorry  I  have  forgotten  the 
planter's  name.  Budd  went  from  Costa  Rica  to 
California,  in  the  employ  of  the  same  house  ;  and  in 
the  palmiest  days  of  San  Francisco  for  money- 
making,  gave  his  time  to  his  employers  at  a  small 
salary,  fixed  according  to  Eastern  rates,  till  the  term 
of  his  engagement  expired.  He  then  invested  his 
earnings  in  a  house,  which  was  to  let  for  several 
months  before  it  was  occupied,  while  he  had  applica 
tions  for  it  almost  every  week.  He  always  inquired : 

"  For  what  purpose  do  you  wish  to  rent  my  house  ?" 

"  I  want  to  keep  a  boarding-house  and  a  bar." 


MISSION AEY   LIFE.  91 

To  which  he  always  replied,  "  I  can't  let  my  house 
for  the  sale  of  grog." 

Finally  a  man,  who  greatly  desired  the  house, 
tried  to  argue  him  out  of  his  position.  Said  he : 
"  Budd,  I  don't  see  why  you  should  be  so  squeamish 
here  in  California ;  why,  you  are  worse  than  the  old 
fogies  at  home.  The  people  will  have  liquor ;  some 
body  will  supply  the  demand,  at  great  profit,  and 
I  may  as  well  do  it  and  make  money  as  anybody; 
and  now  I'll  give  you  three  hundred  dollars  per 
month  for  your  house,  and  will  take  good  care  of  it ; 
and  what  does  it  matter  to  you  what  I  use  it  for,  if 
I  return  it  in  good  order  ?" 

Said  Brother  Budd,  in  reply:  "My  dear  sir,  the 
curse  of  God  is  hanging  over  this  rum-traffic  and  all 
its  abettors,  and  my  policy  is  to  stand  from  under." 

He  had  no  family,  but  being  very  anxious  again  to 
see  his  sisters  and  other  kindred  in  the  East,  he 
wound  up  his  business  in  1853,  and  on  his  homeward 
passage  sickened  and  died.  He  was  a  great  admirer 
of  the  ocean.  I  have  often  heard  him  tell  of  the 
blessed  seasons  of  communion  with  God  he  enjoyed 
in  Costa  Rica,  as  he  strolled  daily  along  the  ocean- 
shore  from  sunset  till  dark  in  quiet  meditation. 
When  the  sea  shall  give  up  her  dead,  L.  F.  Budd 
will  beyond  a  doubt  have  a  glorious  resurrection. 

ALEXANDER  HATLEK,   from  Missouri,   one   of  my 

earliest  and  best  California  friends,  with  a  heart  full 
\ 


92  CALIFOEKEA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

of  kindness,  which  felt  that  no  sacrifice  was  too  great 
for  the  altar  of  his  friendship,  was  so  unassuming  and 
timid  that  he  never  did  much  in  public  religious 
exercises.  But  he  was  a  man  of  unblemished  moral 
character,  and  a  liberal  supporter  of  the  Church. 
His  wife  is  the  exact  counterpart  of  himself. 

J.  B.  BOND,  son  of  Dr.  Thomas  E.  Bond,  deceased, 
did  not  make  a  loud  profession  of  religion,  and  yet 
he  was  foremost  in  every  good  work,  distributing 
tracts,  visiting  the  sick,  attending  class,  praying  in 
the  prayer-meetings,  and  giving  his  money  freely  to 
the  Church  and  the  poor.  We  missed  him  greatly 
when  he  returned  to  New- York. 

D.  L.  Ross,  our  "  most  excellent  Theophilus,"  good 
humored  and  pious,  a  sincere  lover  of  God  and  of 
Methodism,  was  one  of  the  strongest  pecuniary  bul 
warks  of  our  Church'  enterprises  in  California.  We 
hoped  to  have  retained  him  and  his  amiable  wife; 
but  after  a  few  years  they  weighed  anchor,  and  re 
turned  to  New- York.  The  Lord  reward  them  here, 
and  in  the  day  of  eternity  give  them  a  mansion  in 
heaven. 

R.  P.  SPIER  (I  will  not  call  him  an  old  bachelor, 
for  he  is  not  so  old  but  that  there  is  still  hope  in  his 
case)  is  as  pure  and  conscientious,  I  believe,  as  was 
Joseph  in  Egypt ;  very  cautious  and  correct  in  every 
thing  he  does,  though  better  qualified  for  "  bookseller 
and  stationer"  than  governor  of  Egypt.  He  went  into 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  98 

a  mercantile  copartnership  in  Stockton,  California,  at 
one  time,  but  when  the  other  partners  resolved  to  sell 
rum  he  promptly  withdrew.  He  renders  so  much 
service  in  carrying  out  the  details  of  the  pastoral 
work,  keeping  the  church-register  in  order,  visiting 
delinquent  and  sick  members,  etc.,  that  we  sometimes 
call  him  Bishop  Spier. 

WILLIAM  HEXRT  CODINGTON,  from  Sing  Sing,  New- 
York,  almost  a  beardless  youth,  opened  a  butcher- 
shop  on  Kearney-street.  Sabbath-breaking  was 
almost  universal  throughout  the  land,  and  I  don't 
suppose  that  any  other  butcher  had  as  yet  dreamed 
of  keeping  the  Sabbath  in  California;  but  young 
Codington  hung  up  in  a  prominent  place  in  his  shop 
this  sign:  "Tnis  MARKET  CLOSED  ON  SUNDAYS."  I 
know  several  butchers  who  were  then  considered 
very  wealthy,  doing  a  great  business  seven  days  in 
the  week,  who  have  since  gone  into  insolvency,  and 
some  of  them  into  an  untimely  grave,  while  Brother 
Codington  has  acquired  a  handsome  property,  mar 
ried  a  good  wife  to  help  in  its  enjoyment,  and  grown 
up  a  man  of  God,  and  a  pillar  in  the  Church. 

ROBERT  BEECHING,  from  New- York,  had  a  hard 
time  of  it  in  crossing  the  plains.  The  first  Sunday 
morning  after  his  arrival  in  San  Francisco  he  met 
me  at  the  church  door,  apologized  for  his  rough 
appearance  and  threadbare  clothing,  and  told  me  of 
his  sufferings  and  reverses  on  his  way  to  the  land  of 


94  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

i 

gold.  Said  he:  "I've  been  accustomed  to  wear 
decent  clothes  in  New- York,  and  I  feel  ashamed 
to  go  into  church  looking  as  I  do ;  and  yet  I  love 
Jesus,  and  want  to  be  with  his  people." 

I  saw  in  him,  at  a  glance,  a  man,  a  Christian,  a 
gentleman,  and,  taking  him  by  the  hand,  conducted 
him  to  the  "highest  seat  in  the  synagogue.'3  He 
being  a  fine  musician,  some  gamblers  offered  him 
thirty  dollars  per  night  if  he  would  play  in  their 
saloon.  There  he  was,  five  thousand  miles  distant 
from  his  family,  minus  friends,  money,  and  employ 
ment.  By  playing  an  instrument,  which  was  his 
delight  even  at  home,  he  could  make  thirty  dollars 
every  night;  how  quickly  he  might  make  his  "pile," 
return  to  his  family,  and  do  good  with  his  money. 
It  was  a  well-circumstanced  temptation,  and  he  was 
almost  led  to  a  parley  with  the  enemy. 

That  week,  when  he  came  to  class  at  my  house  on 
Jackson-street,  he  related  in  the  meeting  the  facts  as 
above  given,  and  said,  " i  Truly  God  is  good  to  Israel, 
even  to  such  as  are  of  a  clean  heart.  But  as  for  me, 
my  feet  were  almost  gone ;  my  steps  had  well  nigh 
slipped ;  for  I  was  envious  at  the  foolish,  when  I 
saw  the  prosperity  of  the  wicked.'  I  have  thought, 
c  Verily  I  have  cleansed  my  heart  in  vain,  and  washed 
my  hands  in  innocency.'  I  have  at  least  tried  to 
serve  God  for  many  years ;  but  in  my  great  trials  I 
seemed  to  be  almost  forsaken.  '  Behold,  these  are 


MISSIONAKY    LIFE.  95 

the  ungodly  who  prosper  in  the  world  ;  they  increase 
in  riches.'  When  I  thought  to  know  the  reason  of 
this,  it  was  too  painful  for  me ;  until  I  came  to  this 
sanctuary  of  God ;  now  understand  I  their  end. 
4  Surely  they  stand  in  slippery  places,  and  shall  be 
brought  to  desolation,  and  utterly  consumed  with 
terrors.'  '  But  thou,  O  my  God,  art  my  portion  for 
ever.  Whom  have  I  in  heaven  but  thee,  and  there 
is  none  upon  earth  that  I  desire  beside  thee.' " 

His  tall,  manly  form,  flowing  tears,  sweet  com 
manding  voice,  all  contributed  to  produce  an  effect 
in  the  class-room  which  I  cannot  describe.  He  then 
sang  a  triumphant  song  of  Zion,  which  thrilled  every 
heart. 

ISAAC  JONES  was  a  Welsh  local  preacher,  and  by 
trade  a  printer.  He  was  employed  in  the  office  of 
the  "  Evening  Picayune,"  and  made  a  special  agree 
ment  with  the  proprietor  of  that  journal  that  he 
should  never  be  called  on  to  work  on  Sunday. 

Some  weeks  afterward  his  employer  said  to  him 
one  Saturday  night:  "Jones,  the  steamer  has  just 
arrived,  and  we  have  so  much  new  matter  to  set  up 
that  I  want  you  to  lend  a  hand  with  the  boys,  and 
set  up  a  few  thousand  ems  to-morrow." 

"My  dear  sir,"  replied  Jones,  "I  am  willing  to 
work  till  twelve  o'clock  to-night,  and  commence 
work  again  at  one  o'clock  on  Monday  morning ;  but 
you  know  I  told  you  in  the  commencement  that  it 


96  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

was  against  my  principles  to  work  on  Sunday,  and 
we  made  an  agreement  to  that  effect." 

"  O  well,  never  mind,  go  on  in  your  own  way," 
said  the  proprietor. 

A  few  weeks  after  his  employer  came  in  late  one 
Saturday  night,  and  said  to  him  again:  "Now,  Jones, 
it's  no  use  talking ;  you  see  what  a  quantity  of  mat 
ter  we  have  to  set  up  for  the  next  issue,  and  a  great 
deal  of  it  must  go  in  type  to-morrow.  It  has  to  be 
done,  and  you  may  just  as  well  help  to  do  it  as  for 
the  other  boys  to  do  it  all.  The  fact  is,  I  won't  have 
a  man  about  me  unless  he  is  willing  to  work  at  all 
times  whenever  he  is  needed." 

"  "Well,"  said  Jones,  "  I  shall  be  very  sorry  to  lose 
my  situation,  for  it  is  very  expensive  living  here,  and 
I  am  dependent  on  the  daily  labor  of  my  hands  for 
the  support  of  my  family ;  but  if  rny  continuance  in 
your  office  and  my  support  depend  upon  my  working 
on  the  Sabbath,  I'll  beg  my  bread  from  door  to  door, 
or  if  need  be  I'll  starve  in  the  streets  rather  than 
desecrate  God's  holy  day." 

After  bustling  round  among  the  type-stands 
a  while,  the  proprietor  replied :  "  "Well,  Jones,  you 
are  a  good  workman  and  an  honest  fellow,  and  I 
don't  want  you  to  leave  me."  Jones's  triumphant 
death,  and  that  of  his  good  wife,  Mary,  are  noticed 
in  my  "  Seven  Years'  Street  Preaching  in  San  Fran 
cisco,"  p.  353. 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  97 

WILLIAM  PHILLIPS  and  his  son  JOHN  were  English 
hardware  merchants,  and  true  as  steel. 

I  mention  these  "  few  names  in  Sardis,  [California,] 
which  have  not  denied  their  garments,"  simply  as 
specimen  illustrations  of  a  large  class  of  sin-hating, 
God-fearing  men  in  our  first  society  in  San  Francisco, 
and  of  a  noble  band  of  martyr  spirits  to  be  found  in 
perhaps  all  the  early  Church  organizations  of  the 
country,  of  different  denominations.  In  popular  es 
teem  in  those  days  religion  was  at  a  large  discount. 
There  were  no  inducements  to  make  a  stalking-horse 
of  religion;  hence,  hypocrites  and  milk-and-water 
Christians  stood  aloof.  Asa  "White  and  Colonel 
Allen  from  Kentucky,  Eobert  Kellan,  M.  E.  "Willing, 
Calvin  Lathrop,  and  James  M'Gowan  were  our  early 
local  preachers  in  San  Francisco.  Our  early  class- 
leaders  were  Kichard  T.  Hoeg,  Horace  Hoag,  and 
J.  W.  Bones.  "William  Gafney,  now  of  the  Cali 
fornia  Conference,  and  H.  Hoag  were  exhorters. 

Our  second  class  in  the  Powell-street  Charge  was 
organized  about  January,  1850,  and  met  every  Tues 
day  evening  at  my  house  in  Jackson-street.  We  had 
glorious  meetings  there,  in  which  souls  were  occasion 
ally  converted  to  God.  A  small  Sunday  school  was 
organized  in  our  church  in  the  fall  of  1849,  of  which 
Robert  Kellan  was  superintendent.  It  was  a  weak 
and  delicate  plant  in  Zion,  but  we  watered  and  cul 
tivated  it,  and  it  lived  and  grew,  and  is  now  quite  a 


98  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTKATED. 

tree,  bearing  fruit  to  the  glory  of  God.  As  was  be 
fore  mentioned,  Rev.  William  Roberts,  missionary, 
en  route  to  Oregon,  organized  a  small  Sunday  school 
in  San  Francisco  in  1847,  appointing  J.  H.  Merrill 
superintendent.  I  have  before  me  an  original  letter 
from  Roberts  to  Merrill  in  regard  to  it,  which,  as  a 
matter  of  history,  I  will  here  insert : 

"MONTEEEY,  May  27,  1847. 

"DEAR  SIR: — 1  hereby  send  to  you  the  library  of 
primary  Sunday-school  books,  of  which  I  spoke  when 
at  San  Francisco.  They  were  found  yesterday,  and 
the  captain  of  the  Commodore  Shubrick,  I  expect,  will 
bring  them  to  you  without  charge.  There  are  one 
hundred  and  three  volumes  of  books,  one  dozen 
cards,  and  one  dozen  catechisms,  and  also  one  reg 
ister  or  receiving-book.  These  books  are  the  prop 
erty  of  the  Sunday  School  Union  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  I  place  them  in  your  hands 
for  the  use  of  the  school  under  your  care,  with  the 
hope  that  God's  blessing  may  rest  upon  this  effort  to 
bless  the  youth  of  the  land. 

"  I  am  yours  respectfully, 

"  WILLIAM  ROBERTS." 

That  Sunday  school,  numbering  about  twenty  schol 
ars,  was  kept  up,  as  Mr.  Merrill  informed  me,  through 
the  summer  of  1847,  soon  after  which  gold  was  dis 
covered,  which  caused  a  general  stampede  of  both 


MISSION AHY    LIFE.  99 

parents  and  children.  I  found  the  said  Sunday- 
school  library  in  care  of  Brother  White  on  my  ar 
rival,  and  we  appropriated  it  to  the  use  of  the  school 
organized  in  1849,  as  above  described.  The  first 
"  watch-night  meeting"  ever  held  in  California  came 
off  in  our  Powell-street  Church,  at  the  closing  of  that 
eventful  year,  1849.  I  extract  the  following  from 
my  journal  in  regard  to  it : 

"Januai^y  1,  1850. — On  last  evening  I  preached  in 
our  chapel  to  about  thirty  persons,  and  held  a  watch- 
meeting.  Though  our  meeting  was  not  large,  it  was 
an  occasion  of  great  interest.  After  sermon,  from 
the  text,  "  "What  shall  I  render  unto  the  Lord  for  all 
his  benefits  toward  me  ?  I  will  take  the  cup  of  sal 
vation,  and  call  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord.  I  will 
pay  my  vows  unto  the  Lord  now  in  the  presence  of 
all  his  people,"  we  occupied  some  time  in  the  relation 
of  Christian  experience.  A  majority  of  all  present 
spoke  of  the  benefits  they  had  received  at  the  hands 
of  God  during  the  past  year,  and  especially  while 
encountering  the  dangers  of  the  deep  or  of  the  desert. 
The  exercises  were  concluded  as  the  new  year  was 
being  ushered  in,  by  solemnly  singing  on  our  knees 
the  covenant  hymn : 

"  Come,  let  us  use  the  grace  Divine, 

And  all,  with  one  accord, 
In  a  perpetual  covenant  join 

Ourselves  to  Christ  the  Lord,"  etc. 

HTMN  1054,  Methodist  Hymn  Book. 


100  CALIFORNIA   LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

About  this  time  the  "  Methodist  Company,"  in  the 
ship  Arkansas,  Captain  Shepherd,  arrived.  Accord 
ing  to  their  advertisement  in  New- York,  the  com 
pany  was  to  be  composed  entirely  of  Methodists,  and 
many  joined  it  with  that  understanding,  thinking  it 
the  rarest  chance  that  ever  was  to  get  to  California 
without  being  brought  into  contact  with  the  wicked 
rabble  that  mixed  in  with  promiscuous  companies. 
But  when  they  got  out  to  sea  and  gathered  the  flock 
together,  they  soon  found  that  the  goats  outnumbered 
the  sheep.  The  voyage,  socially  and  morally,  was 
by  no  means  a  pleasant  one ;  and  I  have  no  doubt 
that  many  of  them  adopted  St.  Paul's  conclusion : 
that  to  be  freed  "  altogether  "  from  "  fornicators,  cov 
etous,  extortioners,  or  idolaters,"  "then  must  ye  needs 
go  out  of  the  world."  The  night  of  their  arrival  in 
the  port  of  San  Francisco,  before  they  could  land,  a 
heavy  gale  caught  their  ship,  which  dragged  her 
anchors,  and  was  carried  by  the  violence  of  the  storm 
till  she  struck  Bird  Island.  There  they  were  in  mid 
night  darkness,  thumping  among  the  breakers ;  and 
for  a  time  they  thought  the  whole  ship's  company 
must  perish  right  there  in  their  destined  port ;  but 
by  cutting  away  the  masts  they  finally  succeeded  in 
saving  the  hull,  cargo,  and  passengers. 

The  captain  was  subsequently  known  in  San  Fran 
cisco  as  Judge  Shepherd.  He  brought  a  few  very 
mean  men  to  California ;  but  also  some  as  noble  and 


MISSIONAKY 

good,  perhaps,  as  ever  landed  in  that  port ;  such 
men,  for  example,  as  Calvin  Lathrop,  who  for  seven 
years  was  favorably  known  in  California  in  the 
various  relations  of  minister  of  the  Gospel,  Bible-class 
leader,  gold  digger,  and  clerk,  and  who  filled  so 
efficiently  and  satisfactorily  for  years  the  office  of 
publishing  agent  of  the  California  Christian  Advo 
cate.  He  has  returned  to  his  family  in  New- York, 
but  is  a  thorough  Californian  still,  and  pants  for  the 
pure  breezes  of  the  Pacific.  I  wish  it  suited  his  fam 
ily  to  go ;  he  is  needed  in  California. 

It  was  several  weeks  after  my  arrival  in  San  Fran 
cisco  before  I  heard  anything  of  my  fellow-mis 
sionary,  Rev.  Isaac  Owen,  who  had  started  with  his 
family  "  across  the  plains  "  about  the  time  I  sailed 
from  Baltimore.  I  felt  great  solicitude  for  his  wel 
fare,  having  heard  much  of  the  hazards  of  the  over 
land  route  to  California.  After  a  few  weeks,  how 
ever,  my  mind  was  relieved  by  the  news  of  his  safe 
arrival  in  Sacramento  City.  Nearly  four  months  had 
now  elapsed,  and  yet  we  had  not  seen  each  other, 
neither  having  had  time  to  visit  the  other.  Fri 
day,  the  fourth  of  January,  1850,  found  me  making 
preparations  to  go  to  Sacramento  City  to  see  my  col 
league.  First,  I  had  to  provide  for  my  pulpit  the 
Sabbath  I  should  be  absent,  and  I  found  a  supply  in 
James  M'Gowan  and  M.  E.  Willing,  local  preachers, 
lately  arrived  in  the  ship  Arkansas.  Second,  I  had 


.102",;  GALI^CENL4   LITE   ILLUSTRATED. 

to  lay  in  a  good  supply  of  firewood  to  keep  my  wife 
and  babies  warm  during  my  absence. 

Wood  in  the  market  was  forty  dollars  per  cord, 
and  very  poor  stuff  at  that.  I  couldn't  afford  to 
burn  wood  at  those  rates. 

The  sand  hills  back  of  where  I  lived  had  been 
thickly  covered  with  evergreen  scrub  oaks,  but  they 
had  all  been  cut  off,  clean  as  a  newly-mown  meadow. 
I,  however,  took  my  ax  and  went  to  work  on  a 
stump,  and  soon  found,  to  my  agreeable  surprise, 
that  more  than  half  the  tree  was  under  ground ;  that 
the  great  roots  spread  out  horizontally  just  under  the 
surface ;  so  I  had  a  good  supply  of  wood  at  the  simple 
cost  of  cutting,  and  loading  it  on  my  wheel-barrow 
and  rolling  it  home.  I  had  made  a  rare  discovery, 
but,  like  the  darkey  who  first  struck  the- rich  gold 
lead  in  "Xegro  hill,"  I  soon  had  plenty  of  men  to 
share  my  fortune. 

The  said  colored  man,  I  am  told,  went  into  the 
mines  to  dig  some  gold  for  himself,  and  thinking 
the  "  diggins  "  all  free  for  everybody,  he  struck  into 
the  first  good-looking  place  he  came  to.  Presently 
along  came  a  rough-looking  miner,  who  said,  angrily, 
"  What  are  you  doing  there  in  my  claim,  you  black 
rascal ?" 

"  O  massa,  I  didn't  know  dis  are  your  claim  !" 

He  then  went  off  a  little  way,  and  saw  a  hole  in 
which  he  thought  he  might  find  gold,  so  he  jumped 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  103 

into  it  and  went  to  work ;  but  immediately  a  man 
came  running  at  him  in  a  rage,  and  shouted  : 

"  Get  out  o'  my  hole,  you  cursed  nigger,  or  I'll 
knock  your  head  off!" 

"  Lor'sa,  massa,  me  didn't  know  dis  are  your  hole ! 
Good  Lor'sa,  massa,  where  must  I  go  ?" 

"  Go  up  on  the  top  of  that  hill,  and  dig,"  replied 
the  miner,  not  dreaming  that  there  was  gold  there ; 
for  as  yet  the  value  of  hill  diggings  had  not  been 
found  out. 

But  the  poor  old  colored  man  went  on  the  hill, 
and  "sunk  a  shaft,"  (just  like  digging  a  well,) 
and  wrought  there  several  months,  when  it  was  dis 
covered  that  he  had  struck  a  "  rich  lead,"  and  was 
taking  out  the  "big  lumps."  He  then  soon  had 
plenty  of  company  to  share  in  his  rich  discoveries. 
The  hill  was  afterward  known  as  "  Negro  hill,"  and 
has  yielded  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars. 

By  Friday  night  I  had  my  arrangements  all  made 
for  an  early  start  next  morning  for  Sacramento  City. 


104  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 


CHAPTEE  IV. 

MISSIONARY    LIFE CONTINUED. 

ON  Saturday,  January  5,  1850,  at  T  o'clock  A.  M., 
I  embarked  on  the  steamer  Senator  for  Sacramento 
City,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles. 
As  we  ascended  the  Sacramento  River  we  saw  a  large 
band  of  elk.  They  ran  along  the  bank  of  the  river 
in  our  direction  several  hundred  yards,  seeming  as 
desirous  to  look  at  us  as  we  were  to  look  at  them.  On 
the  sharp  crack  of  a  rifle  in  the  hands  of  one  of  our 
passengers  they  changed  their  course,  and  gave  us  a 
wider  berth,  and  soon  disappeared  in  their  own  wild 
woods.  A  buck  elk,  with  a  head  of  full-grown  horns, 
leaping  over  the  hills,  is  a  majestic  looking  animal. 

Arriving  in  Sacramento  City  at  Y  o'clock  P.  M., 
I  was  conducted  by  a  stranger  through  one  vast 
mud-hole  of  nearly  half  a  mile  to  the  house  of  Dr. 
Grove  "W.  Deal.  I  had  known  the  doctor  well  in 
Baltimore,  and  loved  him  much;  saw  him  about  a 
year  before  embark  for  California  in  the  schooner 
Sovereign,  via  Panama,  and  often,  during  a  tedious 
voyage  round  Cape  Horn,  comforted  myself  with 


SACRAMENTO     CITY. 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  107 

the  anticipated  joy  of  meeting  him  on  my  arrival  in 
San  Francisco.  This,  however,  was  the  first  sight 
I  had  got  of  him  in  California.  The  doctor,  I  had 
learned,  had  done  a  great  deal  of  faithful  preaching 
"under  the  oak"  in  Sacramento  City;  and  prior  to 
Brother  Owen's  arrival,  exercised  a  shepherd's  care 
over  the  "few  sheep  in  the  wilderness."  He  had 
also  succeeded  well  in  his  practice  as  a  physician, 
besides  some  good  trading  "  strikes,"  so  that  I  did 
not  find  him  in  a  tent,  nearly  up  to  his  knees  in  mud, 
like  most  of  his  neighbors,  but  occupying  one  of  the 
best  houses  in  the  city.  It  was  a  small,  two-story 
frame-house,  rough  boards  outside,  and  canvas  lining 
inside.  The  first  floor  was  occupied  as  a  store, 
owned  by  the  doctor,  William  Prettyman,  another 
old  Baltimore  friend,  and  a  young  man  whose  name 
I  have  forgotten.  They  had  in  the  store  an  assort 
ment  of  clothing,  dry  goods  and  groceries,  hardware, 
miners'  tools  and  drugs,  books  and  stationery,  and 
such  other  varieties  as  the  denizens  of  a  new  country 
were  likely  to  need.  The  upper  story  was  used  as  a 
reception-room,  parlor,  doctor's  office,  dormitory,  etc. 
In  the  rear  of  the  store  was  a  shed  made  of  rough 
slabs ;  the  floor  was  of  matting,  to  hide  the  mud,  and 
to  keep  the  passengers  above  ground ;  this  was  the 
wash-room,  storage-room,  kitchen,  dining-room,  etc. 

There  I  received  a  hearty  welcome,  and  found  a 
noble-hearted,  jovial    set  of  fellows,   and    there  we 

7 


108  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

talked,  and  ate,  and  slept,  and  thanked  the  Lord, 
and  talked  again.  The  conversation  now  turn 
ing  on  the  days  of  other  years,  and  the  loved  ones  on 
the  other  side  of  the  continent,  and  now  on  the  won 
derful  country  into  which  our  lot  had  fallen,  and  then 
the  stirring  incidents  of  the  voyage,  and  the  ever- 
exciting  "  news  of  the  day."  On  Sabbath  I  accom 
panied  the  doctor  to  our  "  Baltimore  California 
chapel,"  and  was  there  introduced  to  Brothers  Owen 
and  Cor  win. 

I  will  not  attempt  to  give  a  history  of  Brother 
Owen.  Dr.  Thurston,  who,  for  the  last  five  years, 
has  been  gathering  materials  in  California  for  a  book, 
asked  Brother  Owen  to  give  him  a  sketch  of  his  life 
for  his  book.  After  looking  over  a  list  of  autobio 
graphic  notices  in  the  doctor's  book,  by  different  min 
isters,  and  observing  that  special  reference  was  made 
to  the  cities  in  which  they  had  lived,  and  the  col 
leges  in  which  they  had  graduated,  he  penned  some 
thing  like  the  following :  "  Isaac  Owen  was  born  in 
Vermont,  raised  in  Coon  range  on  White  River,  in 
the  wilderness  of  Indiana ;  costumed  in  buckskin,  fed 
on  pounded  cake;  educated  in  a  log  school-house. 
First  book,  Webster's  spelling-book ;  first  lesson  in  two 
syllables,  commencing  with  'Baker.'  Converted  in 
the  woods,  licensed  to  preach  on  a  log ;  first  circuit, 
then  called  Otter  Creek  Mission,  embraced  a  part  of 
five  counties.  Last  heard  of,  a  missionary  in  Cali- 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  109 

fornia,  and  on  a  review  of  his  life  has  no  apologies  to 
offer  for  having  been  born."  Brother  Owen  is  a 
thick-set,  rotund  man,  about  five  feet  ten  inches  high, 
eyes  and  hair  black,  face  round,  with  an  easy,  pleas 
ant  smile  on  his  countenance.  He  is  a  good  preacher, 
voice  clear  and  strong,  his  preaching  earnest  and 
practical,  characterized  by  clear  Scripture  expositions 
and  familiar  illustrations.  Besides  a  thorough,  prac 
tical  education  in  real  life,  he  has  made  himself  quite 
familiar  with  his  Greek  Testament. 

He  is  a  man  of  indomitable  energy  and  perse 
verance.  I  once  heard  Bishop  Morris  say  of  him 
that  "  Owen  never  gives  up ;  he  always  does  what  he 
undertakes ;  if  he  can't  do  it  one  way  he  will  an 
other."  He  is  apt  in  expedient  in  every  emergency. 
He  says  he  never  was  lost  but  once,  and  that  was 
when  a  little  boy.  He  was  away  in  the  wilderness 
alone ;  night  was  settling  down  upon  him ;  the  woods 
were  full  of  wolves,  wild  cats,  and  panthers ;  and  he 
knew  not  which  way  to  go.  After  a  little  cogitation 
an  expedient  struck  him.  He  cut  a  rod,  caught  his 
dog,  and  gave  him  a  severe  flogging,  then  letting  the 
dog  go,  he  instinctively  cut  for  home  as  fast  as  he 
could  run,  and  young  Owen  after  him  at  the  top  of 
his  speed.  He  thus  got  his  bearings,  and  safely 
reached  home  a  little  after  dark. 

He  says  he  never  was  in  "straitened  circum 
stances"  but  once.  He  had  been  out  on  a  hunt, 


110  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

and  got  his  buckskin  trowsers  very  wet ;  coming 
home  very  wet  and  cold,  he  got  into  the  fireplace 
of  one  of  the  old-fashioned  wide  chimneys,  and  stood 
by  a  blazing  fire  to  warm  himself.  Being  veiy  much 
chilled,  he  could  not  feel  the  heat  at  once,  till  he  felt 
something  drawing  very  tightly  about  his  legs;  and 
now  the  heat  seemed  to  be  taking  the  skin  off  him ; 
lo,  his  trowsers  were  drawn  up  into  crisp,  searing 
and  singeing  him  ;  but  though  he  jumped  round,  and 
cried  for  help,  he  could  not  pull  them  off.  Said  he : 
"I  found  myself  that  time  in  decidedly  straitened 
circumstances." 

Brother  Owen  is  one  of  the  greatest  beggars  in 
the  world.  He  was  for  five  years  the  agent  of  the 
Indiana  Asbury  University ;  so  that  besides  natural 
talent  for  it,  he  is  thoroughly  skilled  in  the  business. 
When  he  thinks  a  certain  portion  of  a  man's  money 
ought  to  be  appropriated  to  a  special  church  enter 
prise  in  which  he  is  engaged,  (and  he  always  has 
one  such  on  hand,)  and  gets  after  him,  that  man 
had  just  as  well,  like  old  Dan  Boone's  coon,  give  up 
at  once. 

Rev.  James  Corwin  had  been  a  member  of  the 
same  conference  (Indiana)  with  Brother  Owen,  and 
located  to  accompany  him  to  California,  first,  to  help 
him  with  his  family  across  the  plains,  and,  secondly, 
to  enter  into  the  itinerant  work  with  him  on  the 
Pacific. 


MISSIONARY   LIFE.  Ill 

He  is  a  preacher  of  medium  talent,  faithful  as  a 
pastor,  acceptable  to  the  people,  and  very  useful,  not 
only  in  getting  sinners  converted,  but  in  building 
churches  and  parsonages.  He  has  no  family  of  his 
own,  but  builds  for  those  who  have.  After  helping 
Brother  Owen  to  build  a  parsonage  for  his  family  in 
Sacramento  City,  he  took  an  appointment,  and  has 
been  in  the  regular  work  ever  since. 

On  the  Sabbath  morning  above  referred  to,  at 
Brother  Owen's  request,  I  preached  to  a  full  house, 
from,  "  God  commendeth  his  love  toward  us,  in  that, 
while  we  were  yet  sinners,  Christ  died  for  us." 
Brother  Owen  preached  at  three  P.M.,  and  I  again 
in  the  evening. 

The  next  day  the  doctor  and  I  dined  with  Brother 
Owen's  family,  and  a  sumptuous  dinner  it  was,  too; 
roast  pork,  sweet  potatoes,  and  a  variety  of  good 
things,  hardly  to  be  expected  in  California  at  that 
day.  Brother  Owen  and  wife  had  hardly  recovered 
from  the  wear  and  tear  of  their  long  journey  across 
the  plains.  They  had  a  hard  time  in  getting  to 
California,  and  a  sad  reverse  after  their  arrival. 

Though  I  could  hear  nothing  of  them  for  several 
weeks  after  my  arrival,  they  had  reached  the  north 
ern  part  of  the  territory  about  the  same  time  that  I 
reached  San  Francisco ;  and  he  preached  near  where 
the  town  of  Grass  Valley  is  now  located,  on  the  same 
Sabbath  in  which  I  commenced  operations  in  the 


112  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTKATED. 

Bay  city.  Thence  lie  came  on  by  land  as  far  as 
Benicia,  en  route  to  San  Francisco,  and  there  learned 
that  he  had  been  appointed  by  the  superintendent  to 
Sacramento  City,  nearly  one  hundred  miles  back  in 
the  direction  he  had  come.  They  were  all  nearly 
worn  out,  and  to  haul  their  effects  back  that  distance, 
with  a  broken-down  ox-team,  was  too  much  to  think 
of  enduring,  so  they  engaged  a  sail-vessel  to  take 
their  things  to  Sacramento  City,  and  thus  relieve 
their  broken-down  animals.  The  vessel  was  cap 
sized,  and  they  lost  nearly  everything  they  had  in 
the  world,  all  the  supplies  they  had  hauled  across 
the  continent. 

When  they  got  to  Sacramento  City,  therefore,  they 
were  destitute  of  everything  but  the  rough  traveling 
clothes  in  which  they  appeared.  They  lived  for  a 
short  time  in  a  small  tent,  but  Brother  O.  soon  got 
able  to  move  around  among  the  people,  and  went  to 
work  with  his  usual  zeal. 

In  a  short  time  the  chapel  was  up  and  ready  for 
use,  and  he  was  at  the  time  of  my  visit  in  a  new 
parsonage,  that  cost  about  five  thousand  dollars.  The 
society  was  in  prosperous  condition,  and  they  had 
pledged  themselves  to  give  their  minister  a  salary  of 
four  thousand  dollars  ;  one  thousand  dollars  of  which, 
however,  Brother  Owen  appropriated  toward  the 
payment  for  the  parsonage. 

We  walked  and  talked  together  for  several  days, 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  113 

and  laid  the  basis  of  an  intimate  and  solid  mutual 
friendship,  which  has  remained  unbroken  to  the  pres 
ent  time,  and  will,  I  have  no  doubt,  last  forever 
We  also  matured  plans  for  future  operations.  A 
book  depository  was  to  be  established,  and  the  coun 
try  supplied  with  a  pure  religious  literature ;  acad 
emies  and  a  university  were  to  be  founded  for  the 
education  of  the  rising  generation  ;  but  at  present 
we  had  to  explore,  and  organize  societies,  so  far  as 
possible,  without  neglecting  the  charges  to  which  we 
had  been  appointed.  We  agreed  that  I  should,  in 
addition  to  my  work  in  San  Francisco,  travel  south 
to  San  Jose  and  Santa  Cruz,  and  organize  societies ; 
and  that  he  should  do  what  he  could  north  of  San 
Francisco,  and  thus  prepare  the  way  for  other  mis 
sionaries.  We  spent  a  part  of  Wednesday,  the  ninth 
of  January,  in  Dr.  Deal's  upper  room ;  and  in  the 
afternoon,  when  we  came  down  to  return  to  the  par 
sonage,  lo  !  a  river  came  rolling  down  the  street, 
meeting  us.  Half  the  city  was  already  submerged, 
and  the  swelling  flood  hasted  to  bury  the  remainder. 
A  wagon  happened  to  pass  near  us  at  that  moment, 
and  Brother  Owen  paid  the  driver  two  dollars  to 
take  him  a  couple  of  blocks,  whence  he  got  a  boat 
man  to  ferry  him  home.  I  took  refuge  in  the  doc 
tor's  house  till  after  tea ;  but  as  the  tide  was  still 
rising,  and  as  I  preferred  to  go  to  sea  in  a  boat 
rather  than  a  house,  I  commended  my  Baltimore 


114  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

friends  to  the  mercy  of  the  floods,  and  waded  as  best 
I  could  to  the  steamer  Senator,  and  put  up  for  the 
night. 

The  scene  next  morning  is  briefly  described  in  my 
journal  as  follows : 

"  Thursday,  January  10,  1850. — This  morning  I 
went  up  on  the  foretop  of  a  store-ship  anchored  near 
our  steamer,  to  take  a  survey  of  an  entire  city  under 
water.  I  could  not  discover  a  single  speck  of  land 
in  sight,  except  a  little  spot  of  a  few  feet  on  the  levee 
near  our  boat.  The  boatmen  were  navigating  the 
streets  in  whale  boats  in  every  direction." 

That  day  I  returned  to  San  Francisco,  accompanied 
by  Brother  Corwin,  who  was  on  his  way  to  Stockton, 
where  he  organized  a  society,  and  built  a  church  and 
parsonage,  partly  by  subscription  and  in  part  by  his 
own  hands ;  he,  like  the  great  Prophet  of  Nazareth, 
being  a  carpenter  as  well  as  a  preacher. 

We  paid  for  our  meals  aboard  the  Senator  two  dol 
lars  each  ;  the  price  of  a  state-room  for  one  night 
was  ten  dollars;  the  fare  alone  from  San  Francisco 
to  Sacramento  City  was  thirty  dollars.  Charles 
Minturn,  the  agent  in  San  Francisco,  gave  me  a  free 
passage  up ;  and  through  the  mediation  of  Captain 
Gelson  I  obtained  a  similar  favor  in  Sacramento  City, 
by  which  on  that  single  trip  I  saved  sixty  dollars. 
Brother  Corwin,  however,  not  being  considered  ex 
actly  in  the  regular  succession,  had  to  pay  his  fare. 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  115 

Captain  Gelson,  as  one  of  the  owners  of  the  steamer 
M'Kim,  that  plied  between  the  two  cities  named, 
offered  a  free  passage  to  all  Tegular  ministers — those 
sent  out  as  missionaries,  or  those  having  pastoral 
charges.  I  believe  in  that  way  the  precedent  was 
established ;  at  any  rate  it  became  a  custom  with  the 
owners  and  agents  of  steamboats  running  on  the  Sac 
ramento  and  San  Joaquin  Rivers  to  give  to  all  regular 
ministers  a  free  ticket ;  and  when  the  "  California 
Steamboat  Navigation  Company "  was  organized, 
they  adopted  that  as  an  item  in  one  of  their  by 
laws.  They  subsequently  thought  that  the  privilege 
was  abused;  that  preachers  multiplied  too  fast  for 
the  wants  of  the  country ;  in  other  words,  that  many 
who  were  not  pastors,  and  possibly  not  preachers  at 
all,  took  advantage  of  it. 

It  was  said,  for  example,  that  a  man  took  passage 
on  a  Sacramento  boat  for  himself  and  a  lot  of  mules. 
When  the  captain  demanded  his  fare  he  replied,  "  O, 
I'm  a  preacher,  sir."  "  Indeed  !"  said  the  captain, 
and,  pointing  to  the  mules,  inquired,  "  and.  are  these 
preachers,  too  ?"  The  fellow  had  to  "  walk  up  to  the 
captain's  office  and  settle."  In  consequence  of 
these  abuses  the  company  passed  a  resolution  making 
it  necessary  for  all  ministers  wishing  to  travel  on 
their  boats  to  apply  to  the  president  of  the  company, 
who  would,  on  the  evidence  that  they  were  minis 
ters,  give  them  a  free  ticket. 


116  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

Upon  the  whole,  the  liberality  of  California  steam 
boat  companies  toward  ministers  of  the  Gospel 
stands  unrivaled  in  the  history  of  steamboat  navi 
gation,  and  has  saved  to  the  preachers  (all  of  them 
poor  enough  in  regard  to  means)  an  expense  in  trav 
eling  amounting  to  an  aggregate  of  thousands  of  dol 
lars.  Stage  proprietors  in  California  have  also  shown 
a  commewiiUMO  liberality  in  the  same  way. 

The  Safrfin-ento  flood  prevailed  for  days,  bearing 
on  its  heuviiig  bosom  the  tents  and  small  buildings 
of  the  city,  and  a  large  proportion  of  their  stock, 
consisting  principally  of  horses,  mules,  cows,  and 
oxen,  which  had  been  brought  over  the  plains  by 
hundreds.  There  was  but  little  opportunity  of  saving 
the  stock,  because  the  valley,  for  the  width  of 
several  miles,  and  in  length  for  more  than  a  hundred 
miles,  was  an  unbroken  sea  of  waters.  The  dwellers 
of  the  inundated  city  took  refuge  in  the  second 
stories  of  the  few  houses  that  remained,  and  in  boats, 
and  in  the  vessels  that  lay  at  anchor  in  the  river. 
Our  Baltimore  chapel  was  carried  from  its  founda 
tions  into  the  street,  but  not  seriously  injured. 
Brother  Owen  and  family,  after  a  few  days'  impris 
onment  in  the  upper  story  of  their  parsonage, 
determined  to  move  to  San  Jose*  Valley,  a  distance 
of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  miles,  and  seek  a 
place  of  residence  on  dry  land.  Sacramento  City 
was  inundated  two  or  three  times,  which  led  to  the 


MISSIONARY    LIFEr  llT 


construction  of  a  strong  levee  around  it,  and  it  is 
lience  frequently  called  the  "Levee  City."  Much 
sickness  prevailed  there  in  early  days,  and  thousands 
of  sturdy  adventurers  sleep  their  last  sleep  on  her 
low  grounds  ;  but  it  has  become  a  very  beautiful  and 
healthful  city,  with  a  population,  within  eight  years, 
of  between  twenty  and  thirty  thousand. 

On  the  17th  of  January  Brother  Owen  and  family 
arrived  in  San  Francisco,  on  their  way  to  San  Jose 
Valley.  To  give  themselves  some  time  for  recupera 
tion  and  preparations  for  their  new  home  in  San 
Jose,  they  made  a  temporary  settlement  in  "Asa 
White's  house  with  the  blue  cover,"  which,  naturally 
enough,  in  view  of  the  migratory  character  of  its 
owners,  was  vacant  at  that  time. 

Having  Brother  Owen  in  the  city  to  fill  my  pulpit, 
I  embraced  the  opportunity  to  fulfill  a  promise  to 
visit  San  Jose*  and  Santa  Cruz.  Mrs.  Taylor  being 
out  of  health,  and  having  the  care  of  her  babes  and 
household  duties,  I  thought  it  necessary  to  get  some 
one  to  assist  her  during  my  absence.  A  Sister  Mer 
chant,  an  old  maiden  lady,  had  arrived  a  few  weeks 
before,  having  made  the  voyage  of  Cape  Horn, 
passing  the  dreary  hours  of  the  trip  in  composing 
poetry.  She  was  sincerely  pious,  no  doubt,  and 
uttered  many  shrewd  and  sensible  sayings;  and  yet  it 
was  evident  that  somewhere  in  her  mental  constitu 
tion  there  was  a  screw  loose;  still  she  was  regarded 


118  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

as  a  valuable  helper  in  the  family ;  she  said  she 
could  do  everything  in  that  line  that  could  be 
desired.  So  I  thought  it  would  be  a  fine  arrange 
ment  to  have  Sister  Merchant  as  company  for  Mrs. 
Taylor,  and  to  relieve  her  of  the  housework  till  I 
should  return.  The  idea  of  a  regular  servant  in  a 

O 

preacher's  family,  when  servants  got  larger  salaries 
than  preachers,  was  out  of  the  question.  The 
preachers  and  their  wives  had  to  serve  eacli  other, 
and  both  together  serve  the  children  and  the  people. 
I  know  a  California  presiding  elder  who  used  to  roll 
up  his  sleeves,  and  spend  a  day  over  the  wash-tub  as 
regularly  as  he  went  to  quarterly  meeting.  I  have 
turned  out  many  a  washing  of  clothes,  and  baked 
many  a  batch  of  bread,  and  think  I  understand  the 
details  of  kitchen-work  better  than  I  do  book-making. 
There  were,  however,  preachers  in  California  who 
would  not  hazard  their  ministerial  dignity  in  the 
kitchen,  or  over  the  wash-tub,  but  were  contented  to 
let  their  wives  struggle  through  all  such  drudgery 
alone,  at  whatever  hazard. 

Mrs.  Taylor  tells  the  following  in  regard  to  one  of 
this  class : 

"I  said  to  a  missionary  on  arriving,  whose  deli 
cate  wife  seemed  ill-fitted  for  the  labor  and  toil  of 
pioneer  life,  c  You  will  have  to  help  do  the  washing.' 
1  Not  I,'  replied  the  brother ;  and  to  my  certain 
knowledge  he  never  did.  How  appropriate!  how 


MISSION  ART    LIFE.  119 

considerate !  a  delicate  female  toiling  at  the  tub 
over  her  clear  lord's  linen,  while  he  sits  compla 
cently  reading  or  puffing  his  havana,  now  and 
then  yawning  from  pure  laziness,  and  inquiring, 
'  Dear,  when  will  dinner  be  ready  ?'  as  if  there  were 
a  cook  in  the  kitchen,  or  a  nurse  minding  the  infant, 
whose  cries  were  heart-rending  to  the  sympathizing 
mother.  A  man  should  not  wonder  if  his  gentle, 
sweet  Mary,  by  such  multiplied  cares,  unassisted, 
in  the  course  of  time  seem  unlike  the  youth 
ful,  happy  girl  he  took  from  the  old  folks  at 
home." 

Sister  Merchant  was  very  much  pleased  with  the 
idea  of  living  in  the  preacher's  family — always  loved 
the  preachers  and  their  wives.  She  had  been  sick, 
but  had  fully  recovered,  and  was  ready  "  to  take  all 
the  work  off  Mrs.  Taylor,  and  nurse  the  baby  too." 
I  thought  myself  highly  favored  in  getting  my  pul 
pit  and  my  family  so  well  provided  for  during  my 
contemplated  absence  of  two  weeks,  and  myself  well 
provided  with  a  traveling  companion  in  the  person 
of  Brother  J.  Bennett,  an  exhorter  in  our  Church, 
who  was  then  on  his  way  from  the  mines  in  Colo- 
ma  to  his  family  in  Santa  Cruz.  On  Saturday, 
January  19th,  at  half  past  nine  A.  M.,  we  took  pas 
sage  aboard  a  little  steamer  for  San  Jose* ;  distance, 
fifty  miles,  forty -two  by  water  and  eight  by  land ; 
fare,  twenty-five  dollars  each  on  the  steamer,  and 


120  CALIFOKTSTA    LIFE    ILLUSTEATED. 

five   dollars   per   stage   for   the   land   travel   to   the 
town. 

We  reached  the  embarcado  at  five  P.  M.,  and 
concluded  to  save  our  stage  fare  by  working  our 
own  passage  thence  to  the  town.  After  three 
hours  hard  wading  through  mud  and  water  to  our 
knees,  we  reached  Widow  White's  house,  within 
half  a  mile  of  town,  and  there  obtained  supper  and 
lodging.  !N"ext  day,  at  eleven  A.  M.,  I  preached  in 
the  house  of  old  Mr.  Young,  from  "Fear  not,  for 
they  that  be  with  us  are  more  than  they  that  be 
with  them."  We  had  a  refreshing  class-meeting 
after  preaching,  consisting  of  more  than  "twelve 
persons.'' 

Several  American  families,  principally  from  Ken 
tucky  and  Missouri,  had  settled  there  as  early  as 
1846,  and  others  later;  in  all  now  numbering  about 
thirty,  among  whom  were  several  Methodist  families, 
namely :  William  and  Thomas  Campbell,  and  families, 
Captain  Joseph  Aram,  a  member  of  the  convention 
that  framed  the  constitution  of  the  state,  and  family. 
Old  Mr.  Young  was  not  then  a  Methodist,  but  his 
wife  was,  and  their  house  was  the  preaching-place 
and  the  preacher's  home.  Charles  Campbell,  a  local 
preacher,  had  been  preaching  there  regularly  for 
several  months.  Several  Cumberland  Presbyterian 
families  also  united  with  us,  until  such  time  as  it 
might  be  practicable  for  them  to  organize  for  them- 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  121 

selves ;  of  whom  were  J.  M.  Jones  and  Asa  Finley, 
with  their  excellent  wives,  and  others. 

That  night  I  preached  at  Mr.  Young's  again,  and 
many  rejoiced  with  tears  that  the  long  desired  day 
had  come,  when  they  should  hear  the  voice  of  a  reg 
ular  minister,  and  be  gathered  into  a  fold,  and  re 
ceive  the  ordinances  of  the  Lord's  house.  The  next 
day  Brother  Bennet  and  I  tried  to  get  a  horse  to 
carry  us  over  the  creeks  and  rivers,  and  assist  us 
on  our  way  to  Santa  Cruz ;  distance,  thirty  miles  by 
mule  trail  across  the  rugged  coast-range  of  mount 
ains.  "We  might  have  walked,  but  did  not  like  to 
wade  the  streams;  and  besides,  Brother  Bennet 
had  a  heavy  "miner's  pack,"  which  we  had  car 
ried  alternately  the  Saturday  night  before  until  we 
thought  it  decidedly  cheaper  to  employ  the  aid  of  a 
little  horse-power.  We  found  that  the  cheapest  rate 
at  which  we  could  hire  a  horse  was  eight  dollars  per 
day,  and  as  I  did  not  expect  to  return  for  ten  days, 
a  very  short  calculation  convinced  us  that  "that 
would  not  pay." 

Finally  we  succeeded  in  buying,  for  eighty  dol 
lars,  a  young  red  horse,  very  poor,  hair  all  turned 
the  wrong  way,  his  mane  pulled  out  by  the  roots, 
and  his  head  nearly  off.  He  had  been  tied  to  a 
mule,  which  ran  away  with  him,  and  dragged  him 
half  a  mile  by  the  neck ;  and  really,  if  he  had  not 
been  a  better  horse  than  his  appearance  indicated,  it 


CALIFORNIA  LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

would  have  killed  him.  Much  has  been  said  about 
the  fine,  fat  horses  of  the  itinerancy,  and  verily  if  the 
legions  of  Methodist  cavalry  connected  with  the  nine 
thousand  three  hundred  and  forty  traveling  preach 
ers  of  the  United  States  were  marshaled  in  one 
grand  cavalcade,  we  should  hardly  know  which  most 
to  admire,  the  noble  horses  or  their  heroic,  self-sacri 
ficing  riders. 

However  illustrious  the  line  of  itinerant  horses  in 
California  may  become,  let  it  be  remembered  that 
the  specimen  we  have  exhibited  is  the  head  of  the 
succession,  the  l>ona  fide  St.  Peter  of  the  whole 
fraternity ;  being  the  first  member  of  that  tribe  ever 
admitted  into  the  itinerancy  in  that  territory,  except 
ing,  of  course,  the  mule  Brother  Roberts  used  on 
one  of  his  visits  from  Oregon,  and  afterward  sold 
to  Brother  Owen  on  sight,  unseen,  but  has  never 
been  seen  since  by  any  of  the  parties  claiming.  So 
as  it  is  not  best  to  keep  the  Church  in  doubt  as  to  the 
true  head,  which  would  lead  to  endless  and  useless 
discussion,  it  is  better  to  decide  the  question  at  once 
in  favor  of  the  red  horse. 

There  were  at  the  time  of  our  purchase  plenty  of 
good  horses  out  on  the  plains,  but  not  available 
in  time  for  our  purposes  ;  so  we  did  the  best  we 
could.  In  the  afternoon  we  rigged  up  our  young 
charger  to  go  on  our  journey  a  few  miles,  and  lodge 
at  the  house  of  William  Campbell.  When  we  got  to 


MISSIONARY   LIFE.  123 

Pueblo  Creek,  which,  was  greatly  swollen  by  the  late 
heavy  rains,  we  both  mounted  our  new  horse,  but  by 
the  time  he  got  us  fairly  into  the  stream,  he  fell 
down,  and  gave  us  both  an  immersion,  and  I  thought 
would  have  drowned,  if  we  had  not  helped  him 
up.  We  then  led  him  by  the  rein,  and  waded  out, 
and  proceeded  on  our  way,  rejoicing  "  that  it  was  as 
well  with  us  as  it  was." 

Arriving  at  Brother  Campbell's  at  nightfall,  we 
immediately  sent  out  an  appointment  for  preaching 
that  night,  and  got  in  all  the  neighborhood,  consist 
ing  of  three  families  and  six  travelers,  and  had  a  good 
meeting. 

After  preaching  we  went  and  spent  the  night  with 
Asa  Finley  and  family.  They  treated  us  with  great 
kindness,  and  gave  us  an  early  breakfast  of  chickens 
and  eggs,  reputed  to  be  a  favorite  dish  with  the 
preachers  ;  the  first  and  only  place  where  I  received 
such  fare  in  California  for  nearly  two  years.  The 
mountain  scenery  of  that  day's  travel  was  beautiful, 
and  grand  beyond  description.  Now  a  grove  of  red 
wood  trees  of  immense  size,  and  now  a  vast  field  of 
wild  oats,  cut  in  every  direction  with  the  trails  of 
deer  and  grizzly  bears. 

Crossing  the  foot-hills  we  passed  a  large  herd 
of  sheep,  guarded  by  a  shepherd's  dog,  who  alone 
had  the  care  of  the  flock.  He  kept  between  us  and 
his  sheep,  and  gave  us  to  understand,  by  his  growl- 


124  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

ing,  that  we  must  keep  a  respectful  distance,  and  not 
meddle  with  him  or  his  charge. 

Those  dogs  are  very  common  in  California,  and 
guard  the  sheep  committed  to  their  care  with  cease 
less  vigilance  day  and  night.  But  for  them  the  co 
yotes,  which  are  very  numerous,  would  make  dread 
ful  havoc  among  the  sheep.  I  heard  of  a  California 
dog  that  took  special  care  of  the  weak  lambs  of  his 
flock,  and  was  frequently  seen  to  pick  up  the  lagging 
lamb,  and  carry  it  in  his  mouth  to  its  mother.  Such 
illustrious  examples  in  the  canine  tribe  excite  feelings 
of  profound  contempt  against  those  lazy  dogs  that  do 
nothing  but  eat,  and  sleep,  and  snap  at  the  children. 

Ascending  to  the  mountain  summit,  the  view  was 
enchanting.  Looking  eastward  we  saw  the  splendid 
valley  of  San  Jose*,  adorned  in  its  beautiful  new  dress 
of  green,  spotted  over  with  large  bands  of  cattle, 
horses,  mules,  and  sheep.  Looking  westward,  over 
mountain  peaks,  foot-hills,  and  valleys,  a  distance  of 
twelve  or  fifteen  miles,  there  lay  the  great  Pacific, 
spread  out  in  silent  grandeur  as  far  as  our  ken  could 
scan  the  horizon,  and  six  thousand  miles  beyond. 
Night  overtook  us  in  the  mountains ;  and,  having  no 
moonlight,  we  had  no  small  difficulty  in  finding  our 
way  out. 

At  Santa  Cruz  I  found  a  class  of  about  twenty 
members,  among  whom  were  four  local  preachers. 
One  of  the  preachers  was  a  young  man  of  consider- 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  125 

able  talent,  and  was  employed  at  a  salary  of  two 
thousand  dollars  a  year  to  teach  the  village  school ; 
and,  at  the  request  of  the  society,  had  taken  the 
relation  of  temporary  pastor  and  preacher  until  they 
could  be  supplied  by  a  regular  missionary.  The 
society  got  along  very  prosperously  till  a  short  time 
before  my  visit,  when  a  dispute  arose  between  two 
of  the  most  prominent  members  about  a  town  lot. 
Party  strife  was  now  at  the  flood,  and  the  little 
heritage  of  the  Lord,  it  was  feared,  was  about  to  be 
swept  away.  The  Sunday  before  an  altercation 
arose  in  the  class-meeting,  in  which  a  number  of 
members  left  the  house,  saying  they  did  not  wish  to 
be  considered  members  any  longer.  The  elected 
preacher  in  charge  tendered  his  resignation,  the 
meeting  was  broken  up  in  confusion,  and  many  pious 
souls  went  home  weeping,  and  "  thought  that  all  wras 
lost,  and  they  never  should  again  have  any  more 
good  meetings."  The  arrival  of  a  missionary  just  at 
that  juncture  was  regarded  as  opportunely  providen 
tial.  We  went  to  work  immediately,  as  per  Disci 
pline,  and  had  the  case  arbitrated,  and  although 
the  breach  was  not  healed  at  once,  the  society  was 
relieved  and  reunited,  and  the  way  prepared  for  the 
preaching  of  the  Gospel. 

On  Saturday,  at  eleven  A.  M.,  I  preached  in  the 
house  of  Elihu  Anthony  from,  "Therefore,  leaving 
the  principles  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  let  us  go  on 


126  CALIFOKNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTKATED. 

unto  perfection."  Preached  again  at  night.  Sunday, 
at  half  past  nine  A.  M.,  we  held  a  love-feast,  and  a 
joyful  feast  it  was.  Preached  at  eleven  A.  M.  in  the 
school-house,  on  the  Divinity  of  Christ,  to  a  crowded 
house.  Several  Spanish  families  were  present,  and 
seemed  to  be  greatly  interested.  After  sermon  I  ad 
ministered  the  sacraments  of  baptism  and  of  the 
Lord's  Supper.  About  twenty  persons  partook  of  the 
emblems  of  "  the  broken  body  and  shed  blood  "  of 
their  blessed  Lord  for  the  first  time  in  California,  and 
a  majority  of  them  had  been  in  the  country  ever 
since  1847.  They  had  longed  for  such  a  privilege  in 
their  new  home,  and  now  their  tears,  and  sobs,  and 
shouts  told  of  the  gladness  of  their  hearts. 

After  preaching  that  night,  two  of  Brother  Ben- 
net's  daughters  presented  themselves  as  seekers  of 
religion,  the  first  female  penitents  I  had  seen  in  Cali 
fornia.  I  made  a  plan  of  preaching  appointments 
for  the  local  preachers,  and  left  the  work  in  their 
hands  till  I  should  return  in  the  spring.  I  was 
much  pleased  with  my  visit.  Santa  Cruz  is  a  de 
lightful  place,  situated  on  the  north  side  of  Monterey 
Bay,  enjoying  a  pleasant  sea-breeze,  in  the  midst  of 
one  of  the  most  fertile  spots  in  the  country.  The 
American  portion  of  the  population  at  that  time  was 
composed  principally  of  families  who  had  settled 
there  before  the  gold  discovery,  and  had  their  chil 
dren  growing  up  around  them,  and  hence  the  place 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  12? 

was  more  home-like  than  any  other  place  I  had  seen 
in  the  territory.  They  had  also  the  best  school,  and 
largest  Sunday  school,  in  the  country.  There  were 
the  Anthony,  Case,  Bennet,  and  Hecox  families, 
and  others  that  I  took  real  pleasure  in  visiting. 

On  Tuesday,  the  29th  of  January,  I  retraced 
my  steps  alone  over  the  mountains  to  San  Jose  Val 
ley.  It  rained  on  me  the  whole  day,  and  for  several 
hours  in  the  morning  the  fog  wras  so  dense  that  I  was 
in  great  doubt  as  to  what  direction  I  was  steering. 
The  narrow  mountain  path  was  in  many  places  very 
steep,  slippery,  and  dangerous.  In  one  such  place 
my  little  horse  fell  down,  and  finding  that  he  was  on 
the  eve  of  taking  a  roll  down  the  mountain,  I  sprang 
off  on  the  upper  side,  and  let  him  have  his  roll  to 
himself.  Such  a  slide  wrould  probably  have  killed  a 
common  horse,  but  the  little  fellow  was  very  tough, 
and  like  some  unpromising  young  preachers  I  have 
seen,  there  was  a  great  deal  of  "  out-come  "  in  him, 
for  I  learned  he  afterward  made  a  fine  horse. 

I  met  two  Spaniards  on  the  mountain,  who  asked 
me  for  matches,  and  wanted  me  to  stop  and  talk,  but 
I  did  not  like  the  looks  of  the  fellows  much,  and 
made  no  tarrying.  By  the  time  I  got  through  the 
mountains  night  overtook  me,  and  that  part  of  the 
valley  being  a  vast  sea  of  water  and  mud,  I  lost  my 
way.  In  trying  to  find  Brother  Finley's  place,  I 
came  to  an  Indian  hut,  and  had  a  great  fight  with 


128  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

half  a  dozen  dogs.  I  waked  up  the  Indians,  but 
they  could  not  understand  my  language,  nor  I  theirs. 
Finally,  at  a  late  hour,  I  reached  the  "Mission  of 
Santa  Clara,"  now  a  flourishing  town,  and  the  seat  of 
our  university.  I  put  up  at  an  old  adobe  house, 
bearing  the  name  of  Eeynolds'  Hotel,  and  was  con 
ducted  to  the  bar-room,  where  a  jolly  set  of  gam 
blers  were  engaged  in  card-playing.  After  getting 
myself  warmed,  and  refreshed  by  a  pretty  good  sup 
per,  the  gamblers  having  finished  their  games  for  the 
night,  I  engaged  them  in  conversation  about  Califor 
nia  life,  and  sobered  them  down  a  little  by  a  descrip 
tion  of  the  condition  of  sick  adventurers  in  the  San 
Francisco  hospitals.  None  of  them  knew  me,  but 
they  treated  me  with  respect,  as  most  Californians 
will  always  treat  any  man  who  behaves  himself,  and 
attends  to  his  own  business.  Finally  one  said : 

"  Well,  boys,  let's  go  to  bed." 

"  Agreed,"  responded  another. 

Said  I:  "Gentlemen,  if  you've  no  objections,  I 
propose  that  we  have  a  word  of  prayer  together  be 
fore  we  retire." 

They  looked  at  each  other  and  at  me  a  moment, 
in  evident  surprise,  when  the  bar-keeper,  who  was 
standing  behind  his  bar,  waiting  an  opportunity  to 
sell  to  each  fellow  a  retiring  "  nip  "  for  twenty-five 
cents  per  head,  said : 

"I  suppose,  sir,  there's  no  objection." 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  129 

"  Thank  you,  sir,"  said  I,  and  added :  "  And  now 
let  us  all  kneel  down,  as  we  used  to  do  with  the  old 
folks  at  home,  and  ask  the  Lord  for  his  blessing." 

I  believe  that  every  gambler  of  them  kneeled 
down,  as  humbly  as  children,  and  I  had  a  blessed 
season  in  praying  for  them,  and  for  their  mothers 
and  sisters,  whom  they  might  or  might  not  ever 
again  see  on  mortal  shores ;  but  that  the  wandering 
adventurers  in  California,  with  their  mothers  and  sis 
ters  at  home,  might  all  give  their  hearts  to  God,  be 
lieve  in  Jesus,  and  be  prepared  for  a  happy  greeting 
on  the  other  shore,  and  a  home  in  heaven. 

They  took  no  more  nips  that  night,  but  slipped  off 
to  bed,  mute  as  mice.  I  afterward  met  one  of  them  in 
San  Jose*,  and  he  took  off  his  hat  by  the  time  he  got 

within  a  rod  of  me.     I  said  nothing  to  them  on  the 

"        % 

subject  of  gambling.  The  next  day  I  exchanged  my 
little  red  horse  for  one  that  could  carry  me  through 
the  mud  without  falling  down,  at  the  hazard  of  his 
own  neck  and  mine,  and  gave  thirty  dollars  to  boot. 
The  next  night  I  preached  again  at  Mr.  Young's 
in  San  Jose,  had  a  good  audience  and  profitable 
meeting. 

On  Thursday  morning  I  started  for  San  Francisco, 
distance  fifty  miles,  through  mud  and  water,  a  great 
part  of  the  way,  up  to  my  horse's  knees.  I  passed 
Whisman's  before  noon,  the  only  public  house  on  the 
road,  or  private  one  either,  except  two  or  three 


130  CALIFOENIA   LIFE   ILLUSTEATED. 

"  Spanish  ranches."  I  knew  not  where  I  was  to 
spend  the  night,  but  determined  to  go  as  far  as  I 
could,  and  to  stop  wherever  my  horse  gave  out. 
Never  having  traveled  that  route,  I  went  several 
miles  out  of  my  way;  but  met  a  Spaniard  who 
kindly  put  me  on  my  course. 

About  nine  o'clock  at  night  I  reached  Saix  Fran- 
ciskito  Creek,  which  was  booming  and  overspreading 
its  banks.  It  made  such  a  roaring  and  crashing  that 
I  tried  in  vain  to  get  my  horse  into  it,  and  the  dark 
ness  was  so  dense  that  I  could  not  tell  where  I  was 
to  land  if  he  had  gone  in.  Turning  back  I  saw  a 
light  not  far  distant,  and,  approaching,  found  it  to 
be  a  hunter's  camp,  occupied  by  three  men,  two  of 
whom  were  very  drunk.  They  granted  me  permis 
sion  to  lodge  with  them,  that  is,  to  warm  by  their 
fire,  and  sleep  on  the  ground  in  a  blanket  they 
loaned  me. 

I  staked  my  horse  out  to  grass;  for  though  the 
valley  was  flooded,  it  was  covered  with  new  grass, 
about  eight  inches  high,  and  returning  to  the  fire, 
the  drunker  man  of  the  two  met  me,  and  said,  "I 
want  to  have  a  word  with  you,"  and,  staggering 
round  behind  the  tent,  he  took  my  arm,  and  said, 
"  Stranger,  you  mustn't  mind  anything  that  man 
there  may  say  to  you.  He's  a  clever  feller,  but  he's 
pretty  drunk  to-night.  Stranger,  you  mustn't  mind 
him." 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  131 

After  I  seated  myself  by  the  fire  the  three  men 
told  their  experience.  The  details  were  too  horrible 
to  be  repeated.  "When  they  got  through  they  wanted 
me  to  tell  mine :  so  I  gave  them  a  little  of  my  ex 
perience. 

As  I  proceeded  they  stared  at  me,  and  finally  one 
of  them  said,  "  You're  a  preacher,  ain't  you  ?" 

"  Yes,"  I  replied  ;  "  I  pass  for  one." 

"O,  good  Lord,  didn't  ye  catch  us?"  said  they, 
with  sundry  apologies  for  their  vulgar  talk  in  the 
presence  of  a  preacher.  "We  didn't  dream  that 
there  was  a  preacher  in  the  country." 

After  that  they  gave  me  extra  attention,  and  I  left 
them,  after  an  early  breakfast,  feeling  that  I  owed 
them  a  debt  of  gratitude,  and  homeward  I  went, 
expecting  to  find  Mrs.  Taylor  quite  recruited  in 
health  by  the  opportune  aid  of  good  Sister  Mer 
chant. 


132  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 


CHAPTEK  Y. 

MISSIONARY    LIFE CONTINUED. 

ON  my  return  from  Santa  Cruz  I  learned  that 
Sister  Merchant,  instead  of  being  servant  in  the 
family,  had  assumed  to  be  mistress,  and  had  all 
hands,  with  a  neighboring  family  added,  to  wait  on 
her.  The  day  after  I  left,  by  some  means,  several 
more  screws  got  loose  about  her;  indeed,  she  became 
crazy,  and  refused  to  do  anything ;  said  that  "  the 
Lord's  children  are  kings  and  priests,"  and  that  she 
"  was  one  of  them  sure,"  and  that  it  did  not  become 
kings  and  priests  to  be  doing  housework.  She  also 
refused  to  leave;  said  that  "  the  house  was  the  Lord's, 
and  that  she  was  the  Lord's,  and  had  a  right  to  stay 
there  as  long  as  she  pleased ;  was  astonished  that  Mrs. 
Taylor  should  have  the  audacity  to  speak  to  her  about 
leaving  the  house  of  her  heavenly  Father  ;  she  knew 
Brother  Taylor  wouldn't  do  such  a  thing ;  that  Brother 
Taylor  was  more  sanctified  than  Sister  Taylor,  and 
that  he  would  settle  the  question  of  right  between 
them  as  soon  as  he  got  home,  that  he  would." 

She  took  possession  of  an  upper  room,  which  had 


MISSION ABY   LITE.  133 

just  been  rented  for  fifty  dollars  per  month,  and 
refused  to  give  it  up  to  the  person  who  had  rented 
it,  or  to  anybody  else,  and  there  remained  day  and 
night,  demanding  her  meals  regularly,  and  all  other 
needful  attention,  and  kept  Mrs.  Taylor  and  the  chil 
dren  awake  a  good  share  of  every  night  with  her 
songs  and  prayers.  Having  no  home  nor  friends, 
Mrs.  Taylor  would  not  have  her  turned  out  of  doors, 
but  patiently  did  her  bidding.  It  was  some  time 
after  my  return  before  we  could  get  her  comfort 
able  quarters  elsewhere.  In  the  mean  time  she 
righted  up,  so  as  to  look  out  for  herself.  So  much 
for  our  first  experience  with  servants  in  Cali 
fornia. 

At  that  time  we  had  no  asylum  for  the  insane  in 
California,  and  yet  such  was  the  constant  overstretch 
ing  of  mind  and  muscle,  that  a  great  many  persons 
became  deranged,  and  their  condition  was  indeed  de 
plorable.  Some  such  were  sent  to  the  hospitals,  some 
to  the  "  Prison  Brig,"  and  some  were  confined  in 
private  outhouses,  with  about  as  much  care  as  a  wrild 
animal  would  command.  I  remember  one  in  the  hos 
pital  who  thought  he  was  in  prison  and  was  suffering, 
and  verbally  detailing  all  the  horrors  of  false  impris 
onment,  dragged  away  from  his  family,  and  impris 
oned  for  life,  without  ever  letting  him  know  with 
what  offense  he  was  charged.  He  wept  and  be 
wailed  his  desolate  condition,  nobody  to  plead  his 


134  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

cause,  and  no  hope  of  ever  seeing  his  wife  and  chil 
dren  again." 

"When  I  would  assure  him  that  he  was  not  in 
prison,  but  being  unwell  he  was  placed  in  that  house, 
which  the  city  had  kindlj  provided  for  sick  stran 
gers,  for  medical  treatment,  and  that  he  would  soon 
be  well,  and  could  then  go  and  see  his  family,  "  O,  is 
that  it !  O,  I'm  so  glad  !  I'm  so  glad  !"  he  would 
rejoice  a  minute,  and  then  slide  back  into  his  hope 
less  prison. 

Another  I  used  to  see  in  the  hospital,  said  he  was 
Daniel  Webster's  private  secretary.  He  was  always 
cheerful,  arid  polite  as  a  French  dancing-master. 
He  was  constantly  receiving  company.  "Good 
morning,  Commodore  Perry.  I'm  very  happy  to  see 
you  so  unexpectedly.  Walk  in,  walk  in,  commodore. 
Give  me  your  cap,  and  be  seated.  I'll  call  Mr. 
Webster.  I  know  he'll  be  delighted  to  see  you.  He 
was  speaking  of  you  only  this  morning  at  the  break 
fast  table.  I  was  just  reading,  commodore,  as  you 
came  to  the  door,  one  of  your  dispatches  from  the 
seat  of  war.  That  was  a  dreadful  fight  you  had  with 
the  Philistines  !  The  American  navy  never  had  such 
a  contest  before,  and  never  before  achieved  so  glori 
ous  a  victory  !  All  glory  to  the  American  navy !  all 
honor  to  Commodore  Perry !  Let  the  stars  and 
stripes  float  forever !  I  say." 

Those  two  poor  fellows  were  both  harmless,  and 


MISSION AEY    LIFE.  135 

occupied  places  in  large  wards  filled  with  sick 
men. 

But  I  used  to  see  a  man  who  was  considered  dan 
gerous.  He  was  tightly  laced  in  a  strait-jacket, 
and  bound  down  to  the  ground  floor  of  a  basement 
room  in  the  hospital,  dark,  damp,  cold,  and  cheer 
less  as  Hades. 

Poor  fellow,  how  I  pitied  him  in  my  very  soul ! 

A  Captain  B.  was  taken  to  a  hospital  near  where 
I  lived,  and  was  confined  in  a  stable.  lie  com 
plained  of  very  bad  treatment,  and  at  all  hours  we 
could  hear  his  ravings.  He  tore  off  his  own  clothes, 
and  must  have  suffered  from  cold.  Mrs.  Aringtou 
living  near,  getting  permission  of  the  doctor  to  visit 
the  captain,  and  give  him  his  meals  occasionally, 
took  him  in  hand,  and  treated  him  kindly ;  he  ceased 
his  ravings,  and  spent  much  of  his  time  in  lauding 
the  dear  woman  who  became  his  friend  when  he  had 
none.  He  subsequently  recovered. 

In  January,  1852,  a  state  Lunatic  Asylum  was 
commenced  in  the  city  of  Stockton,  which  has  since 
received  annual  appropriations  by  the  State  Legis 
lature  for  improvements,  and  for  the  cure  of  the 
insane. 

The  appropriations  for  the  year  1854  amounted  to 
one  hundred  and  fifty-three  thousand  dollars.  Eighty 
thousand  of  that  amount  was  for  the  erection  of  a 
main  building,  which  is  thus  described  in  the  "An- 


136  CALIFORNIA   LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

nual  Reports  of  tlie  Officers  of  the  Insane  Asylum  of 
the  State  of  California  for  the  year  1854." 

"  The  main  building,  just  erected  and  finished,  is  a 
brick  structure,  seventy  feet  square,  three  stories 
high.  The  first  story  is  fifteen  feet  in  the  clear,  con 
tains  eight  rooms  and  two  halls,  fourteen  feet  wide. 
The  second  story  is  twelve  feet  in  the  clear,  contains 
sixteen  rooms,  with  halls  same  as  in  the  first  story. 
The  third  story  is  eleven  feet  in  the  clear,  contains 
eighteen  rooms,  with  halls  same  as  in  the  lower 
stories.  There  is  a  ventilator  in  every  room,  flues 
in  all  the  rooms  in  the  first  story,  and  in  all  the  prin 
cipal  rooms  in  the  second  and  third  stories.  The 
height  of  the  top  of  the  spire  from  the  ground  is  one 
hundred  and  nine  feet,  and  height  of  top  of  pediment 
from  the  ground  is  sixty-one  feet." 

Table  IY  of  said  report,  "  shows  the  number  of 
admissions,  recoveries,  discharges,  deaths,  and  the 
number  remaining  in  the  hospital  at  the  close  of 
each  year  since  the  organization  of  the  institution," 
up  to  the  close  of  1854  : 


1858. 

1858. 

1854. 

TOTAL. 

Admissions 

124 

222 

305 

651 

Kecoveries 

52 

110 

150 

312 

Deaths 

10 

12 

21 

43 

Discharges 
Remaining 

52 
62 

110 
103 

150 
134 

312 
299 

A  German  gardener  came  to  me,  saying  "  that  he 
had  hired  himself  for  a  year,  at  a  hundred  dollars  per 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  137 

month,  to  a  Scotch  gardener  at  the  mission,"  and 
begged  me,  as  a  favor,  to  draw  up  an  article  of 
agreement  for  him,  which,  as  a  matter  of  accommoda 
tion,  I  did.  Then,  after  getting  it  signed,  he  begged 
me,  with  the  Scotchman's  consent,  to  take  care  of  it 
for  him,  so  I  locked  it  up  in  my  private  trunk. 
During  my  absence  at  Santa  Cruz  our  little  babe 
was  taken  very  ill,  and  Mrs.  Taylor,  having  no  one  to 
send  for  the  doctor,  went  to  the  door,  hoping  to  see 
some  one  pass  whom  she  might  send  for  a  physician. 
Just  as  she  got  to  the  door  she  met  the  German 
gardener,  accompanied  by  another,  who  demanded 
of  her  the  said  article  of  agreement.  "  It  is  with  Mr. 
Taylor's  papers,"  said  she,  "locked  up  in  his  trunk, 
and  he  has  the  key  in  his  pocket,  so  you  can't  get  it 
till  he  returns." 

"  We  must  have  it,"  said  they,  "  and  if  you  don't 
give  it  up  peaceably,  we'll  take  it  by  force." 

The  sick  babe  was  crying  in  the  kitchen,  the  crazy 
woman  was  singing  and  shouting  up  stairs,  and  there 
were  two  savage-looking  men  contending  against  one 
sick  woman.  Mrs.  Taylor  replied  :  "I  told  you  before 
that  the  paper  was  in  that  trunk,  and  I  can't  get  it. 
If  it  is  your  mind  to  break  open  the  trunk,  you  do  it 
at  your  own  risk,"  and  with  that  she  left  them, 
and  went  to  her  babe.  They  then  broke  open  my 
trunk  by  knocking  the  bottom  out  of  it,  and  after 
rummaging  through  all  my  papers,  letters,  memoran- 


138  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

da,  etc.,  found  their  paper  and  left.  So  Mrs.  Taylor 
had  a  fine  opportunity  for  the  development  and 
exercise  of  her  patience  during  my  absence.  The 
trunk  breakers  afterward  learned  that  they  had  laid 
themselves  liable  to  prosecution,  and  soon  after  1 
returned  the  gardener  came  to  apologize,  and  oifer 
to  pay  for  the  trunk.  Colonel  Kevins  happened  to  be 
at  my  house  when  he  came  in.  I  told  the  fellow 
that  I  would  not  accept  pay  for  the  trunk;  that  to 
come  in  my  absence,  and  frighten  my  sick  family, 
and  break  open  my  trunk  in  that  manner,  was  an 
offense  not  to  be  wiped  out  by  paying  the  price  of  a 
trunk,  and,  continued  I,  here  is  Colonel  Nevins,  an 
old  practitioner  at  the  bar,  I'll  turn  you  over  to  him, 
and  let  him  put  you  through  as  you  deserve.  The 
colonel  heard  the  statement  of  the  case  and  said 
to  him  :  "  My  dear  fellow,  you  have  got  yourself  into 
a  bad  fix;  you  are  guilty  of  a  state  prison  offense; 
the  evidence  is  all  clear ;  a  very  plain  case,  and 
we'll  have  you  in  the  chain-gang  in  less  than  thirty- 
six  hours." 

The  old  fellow  dropped  on  his  knees,  and  weeping 
like  a  whipped  child,  begged  us  to  kill  him ;  said  he 
had  "  never  been  arrested  for  any  offense  in  his  life, 
had  always  tried  to  support  a  good  character,  and 
now  in  his  old  days  to  be  put  into  the  chain-gang 
was  worse  than  death."  So  we  had  compassion  on 
him,  and  after  farther  admonition  dismissed  the  case. 


MISSION AKY   LIFE.  139 

On  going  through  the  hospital,  on  my  return,  I 
was  shocked  to  see  what  sad  havoc  death  had  made 
among  the  poor  fellows  with  whom  I  had  sympa 
thized  and  prayed  the  day  before  I  left  the  city. 
Having  added  a  horse  to  the  number  of  my  family 
cares,  I  had  occasion  to  take  some  new  lessons 
in  California  prices.  Bought  a  sack  of  barley,  one 
hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  for  fifteen  dollars.  Bought 
a  hundred  pounds  of  hay,  miserable  stuff  too,  for 
fifteen  dollars,  and  carried  it  all  home  on  my  horse 
at  one  load.  But  having  promised  to  preach  occa 
sionally  at  San  Jose"  and  Santa  Cruz,  and  take  the 
pastoral  oversight  of  them,  I  found  it  cheaper  to  keep 
a  horse,  even  at  those  rates,  than  to  pay  the  enor 
mous  fare  of  public  conveyances. 

February  10th,  1850.  Brother  Owen  and  I,  assist 
ed  by  a  few  brethren,  dug  the  foundation,  and  com 
menced  the  erection  of  a  small  book-room,  adjoining 
our  church  on  Powell-street.  Carpenters'  wages  were 
so  enormously  high,  twelve  dollars  per  day,  that  we 
did  most  of  the  work  with  our  own  hands.  Brother 
Owen,  after  his  appointment  to  the  missionary  work 
in  California,  spent  some  time  in  collecting  funds 
and  books,  and  shipped  for  California  about  two 
thousand  dollars'  worth  of  books.  They  arrived  per 
ship  Arkansas,  and  on  January  16th,  1850,  I  got 
them  ashore,  paying  for  lighterage  five  dollars  per 
ton — fifteen  dollars.  They  were  discharged  from  the 

9 


140  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

lighter  on  the  sand  beach,  foot  of  California  street, 
whence  I  had  to  heave  the  boxes  fifty  yards,  to  get 
them  where  they  could  be  loaded  on  a  dray.  Paid 
forty  dollars  to  have  them  hauled  to  my  house  on 
Jackson-street,  where  they  remained  unopened  till 
February  16th,  when  we  had  them  hauled  to  our  new 
book-room.  This  was  the  nucleus  of  "The  Book 
Concern  of  the  Pacific ;"  and  in  the  midst  of  our  toil 
in  establishing  it,  we  contemplated  with  a  good  deal 
of  satisfaction  its  future  greatness  and  usefulness. 
As  I  was  resident  in  the  city,  it  devolved  on  me 
to  attend  to  the  books,  which  I  did  at  the  expense 
of  a  great  deal  of  time  and  toil,  in  connection  with 
the  multiplied  duties  of  the  pastorate.  It  was  so 
expensive  hauling,  that  I  generally  packed  on  my 
shoulder  the  boxes  and  packages  we  sent  out  to 
order  from  the  book-room  to  the  boat,  more  than 
half  a  mile ;  but  I  thought  nothing  of  time  and  labor, 
if  we  could  thereby  establish  a  good  book  depository, 
and  supply  the  coast  with  a  sound  religious  litera 
ture;  for  next  to  the  preaching  of  a  pure  Gospel, 
we  considered  that  most  important  for  the  redemp 
tion  of  the  country  from  error  and  sin. 

While  Brother  Owen's  family  still  occupied  Father 
White's  shanty  in  San  Francisco,  their  little  daughter, 
two  years  old,  took  croup,  or  something  similar,  and 
on  February  13th  died.  It  was  a  beautiful  child, 
and  having  carried  it  over  the  plains,  it  had  become 


MISSIONARY  LITE.  141 

an  early  partner  in  their  toils  and  sufferings,  and  had 
endeared  itself  to  the  family  to  a  greater  degree,  per 
haps,  than  children  ordinarily  do  at  that  age.  To 
see  the  old  missionary  and  his  wife  join  hands,  as 
when  they  stood  at  Hymen's  altar,  and  bow  together 
over  their  dying  babe,  and  impress  on  its  fading 
cheek  the  parting  kiss,  was  indeed  a  scene  too 
touching  for  adequate  description.  The  good  brother 
bowed  his  head,  and  received  the  shock  like  a  man 
of  God  inured  to  trial ;  but  Sister  Owen,  dear  woman, 
had  been  so  worn  down  by  hardship  and  toil,  and 
her  nervous  system  was  so  shattered,  that  the  light 
ning  bolt  seemed  to  strike  through  her  soul.  The 
shock  to  her  was  so  heavy  that  she  has  never  fully 
recovered  from  its  effects.  She  is  still  a  sensible, 
pious  woman,  but  evidently  a  wreck,  physically,  of 
what  she  has  been  in  her  days  of  sunshine  and  hope. 
Brother  Treat  Clark  made  her  little  girl's  coffin,  and 
I,  assisted  by  Brother  Hatler,  dug  the  grave;  and 
there,  on  the  northwest  corner  of  the  Powell-street 
Church  lot,  we  buried  the  little  jewel  of  Jesus,  the 
first  member  of  our  mission  to  leave  us ;  a  hostage 
taken  by  the  Master  to  bind  that  wayworn  family 
more  firmly  to  the  land  of  their  adoption,  and  to 
commit  them  more  fully  to  the  work  of  its  redemp 
tion  from  sin  and  error. 

Brother  Owen  built  a  small  one-story  house,  half  a 
mile  east  of  the  town  of  San  Jose",  into  which  he 


142  CALIFORNIA  LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

moved  his  family ;  and  leaving  them  in  care  of  his 
father-in-law,  he  on  the  2nd  of  March  returned  alone 
to  his  charge  in  Sacramento  City.  The  waters  having 
assuaged,  he  had  his  church  brought  back  to  her 
moorings,  and  fulfilled  the  duties  of  his  charge,  in  the 
absence  of  his  family,  till  the  close  of  that  conference 
year. 

On  the  2nd  of  March,  1850,  while  I  was  at  work  in 
the  book-room,  Brother  Troubody  and  a  good-looking 
stranger  came  in,  and  I  was  introduced  for  the  first 
time  to  Rev.  William  Roberts,  our  superintendent. 
The  great  pleasure  of  meeting  a  fellow-laborer,  expe 
rienced  by  those  in  distant  fields,  where  such  meet 
ings  are  like  angel  visits,  can  hardly  be  conceived 
by  any  but  the  subjects  of  it.  Brother  Roberts 
put  up  with  us,  and  occupied  our  prophet's  room. 
We  felt  it  a  great  privilege  to  enjoy  his  company, 
not  only  on  account  of  the  novelty  of  it,  but  especially 
because  he  is  a  Christian  gentleman  of  high  order — • 
one  of  the  Lord's  noblemen.  He  preached  in  our 
chapel  at  eleven  A.  M.  next  day,  from,  "  Whosoever 
shall  confess  me  before  men,  him  shall  the  Son  of 
man  also  confess  before  the  angels  of  God."  It  was  a 
pointed,  practical  sermon,  which  was  to  me  as  manna 
to  the  hungry  soul.  He  preached  again  at  night  an 
excellent  sermon  on  the  witness  of  the  Spirit.  That 
day,  at  three  P.  M.,  I  preached,  from  a  pile  of  lumber 
on  Mission-street,  the  funeral  sermon  of  William  H. 


MISSIONARY   LIFE.  143 

Stevens,  who  had  died  the  day  before,  leaving  in  his 
distant  home,  "Winnebago  County,  Illinois,  a  wife  and 
six  children.  Death  in  California  in  those  days 
seemed  clothed  with  extraordinary  terrors,  without 
any  of  the  mitigating  circumstances  attending  the 
death-scenes  of  old  settled  communities.  No  kind 
sister's  hand  to  wipe  the  death-sweat  from  the  brow ; 
nor  affectionate  wife  to  impress  on  the  pallid  cheek 
the  parting  kiss,  and  whisper  words  of  peace  in 
the  ear  of  the  dying;  no  gathering  of  the  children 
around  the  departing  father  to  receive  his  last,  solemn 
charge,  catch  his  last  smile  and  lingering  look.  A 
little  boy,  for  example,  was  seen  crying  in  the  street 
of  San  Francisco  early  one  rainy  morning  in  the 
winter  of  1849-50,  and  a  man  said : 

"Little  boy,  what's  the  matter  with  you?" 

"  Daddy's  dead,  and  I  don't  know  what  to  do  with 
him !" 

The  lad  conducted  the  man  into  a  small  tent,  and 
there  lay  his  dead  father  all  alone.  It  was  said  that 
he  owned  a  farm  in  Missouri,  and  had  plenty  of 
friends  at  home ;  but  lingered  and  died,  unknown  to 
any  but  his  little  boy. 

The  circumstances  attending  the  protracted  illness 
of  Brother  Stevens  were  most  distressing;  but  he 
was  triumphant  over  all  by  the  grace  of  Jesus,  and 
said  when  dying,  "  Tell  my  wife  I  die  in  peace,  and 
go  home  to  heaven.  I  expect  to  meet  her  and  the 


144  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

children  there."  This  death-scene  is  described  in 
detail  in  my  "  Seven  Years'  Street  Preaching  in  San 
Francisco,"  p.  363. 

Brother  Roberts  spent  nearly  four  weeks  in  Cali 
fornia  at  that  time,  two  Sabbaths  in  San  Fran 
cisco,  and  the  rest  of  his  time  in  Stockton  and  Sacra 
mento  City.  He  sailed  for  Oregon  on  the  29th  of 
March.  On  the  same  day  I  made  my  second  visit  to 
San  Jos6,  accompanied  by  my  family. 

We  were  met  on  our  arrival  by  our  old  friend, 
Dr.  Grove  "W.  Deal,  who  was  a  representative  from 
Sacramento  in  the  Territorial  Legislature,  then  in 
session  in  San  Jose".  The  doctor  filled  his  seat  in  the 
Legislature  during  the  week,  and  preached  the  Gospel 
to  his  fellow-law-makers  on  the  Sabbath. 

I  shall  not  attempt  to  report  the  good  which  he 
may  have  accomplished  there,  except  to  say  that  a 
bill  for  the  incorporation  of  Church  property  was  pre 
sented,  in  which  it  was  provided  that  the  trustees 
should  be  elected  by  the  society,  and  the  doctor  had 
it  so  amended  as  to  recognize  any  board  of  trustees 
duly  elected  or  appointed  according  to  the  rules  or 
discipline  of  the  Church  they  might  represent. 

I  saw  an  example  six  years  afterward,  of  the  prac 
tical  importance  of  that  amendment.  An  effort  was 
made  in  a  lawsuit  to  ignore  the  legal  existence  of  a 
Methodist  board  of  trustees.  The  lawyer  on  the 
other  side  said : 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  145 

"  This  is  not  a  legal  board  of  trustees,  because  they 
never  were  duly  elected  by  the  society." 

"True,"  replied  another,  "they  were  not  elected 
by  the  society,  but  they  were  duly  appointed  by  the 
preacher  in  charge." 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  other,  "  but,  according  to  the 
statute,  they  must  be  elected  ~by  the  society" 

He  had  not  read  the  statute  lately,  if  ever,  and  did 
not  know  that  when  it  was  being  molded  it  had 
passed  through  the  hands  of  a  Methodist  preacher. 
He  was  then  requested  to  read  the  statute,  and  he 
found,  to  his  disappointment,  that  it  decided  against 
him  the  point  on  which  he  had  hung  all  his  hopes  of 
success  in  the  suit. 

On  Saturday  the  30th,  I  accompanied  Doctor  Deal 
to  the  Assembly  Hall,  and  witnessed  the  election  of 
the  first  district  judges  in  the  territory.  Next  day  I 
preached  at  Mr.  Young's,  and  also  in  the  Senate 
Chamber.  After  preaching  in  the  morning  we  had 
a  blessed  class-meeting.  A  Frenchman  with  a 
Spanish  wife  were  in  class,  and  upon  Brother  C. 
Campbell's  recommendation  were  admitted  into 
society  on  probation.  They  soon  afterward  moved 
away,  and  I  know  not  what  became  of  them. 

On  Monday,  April  1,  I  opened  a  subscription  for 
the  erection  of  a  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  San 
Jose*.  That  was  election  day  there  for  county  offi 
cers,  and  hence  a  day  of  great  excitement  in  town, 


146  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

but  more  especially  because  of  a  celebrated  horse 
race,  which  came  off  that  afternoon.  An  American 
by  the  name  of  Hedgepeth,  and  a  native  Californian 
by  the  name  of  Pico,  ran  against  each  other  for 
a  prize  of  ten  thousand  dollars  on  each  side.  Such 
a  stake  was  in  keeping  with  the  times,  and  such 
a  scene  the  highest  intellectual  entertainment  that 
could  engage  the  attention  of  the  masses.  Hedge 
peth  took  the  prize. 

I  was  abroad  among  the  people  making  interest  for 
my  new  church  enterprise,  but  would  not  turn  my 
head  to  see  the  race,  which  to  many  was  matter  of  as 
great  surprise  as  my  apparent  want  of  interest  in  the 
shark  catching  on  my  voyage  to  California. 

One  Sunday,  in  the  South  Pacific,  just  after  preach 
ing,  I  was  seated  on  deck  reading  the  Bible,  when 
lo,  a  cry,  "  A  shark  !  a  shark  !"  All  hands  ran  abaft 
to  see  the  great  man-eater  of  the  deep.  Many  said 
to  me  as  they  passed,  "  Come  and  see  the  shark ;  he's 
a  rouser."  Several  baited  hooks  were  thrown  out, 
swallowed,  and  bitten  off.  At  one  time  they  hooked 
it,  and  drew  it  up  to  the  taffrail,  when  the  line  broke, 
and  down  it  dropped.  Finally  they  harpooned  it, 
and,  in  the  midst  of  universal  shouting  and  hurraing, 
it  was  drawn  aboard.  It  was  a  huge  monster. 

Colonel  Myers  returning  from  the  scene,  said  to 
me,  as  I  sat  still  reading  the  word, 

"  Did  you  not  see  the  shark  ?" 


MISSIONARY   LIFE.  147 

«No,  sir,"  said  I. 

"  Why,  not  ?"  said  he,  with  great  surprise. 

"  I  was  engaged,"  replied  I,  "  in  reading  the  word 
of  the  Lord,  which  to  rne  is  of  more  importance  than 
shark  killing,  especially  on  the  Sabbath ;"  and 
added  :  "  Colonel,  if  I  were  engaged  in  conference 
with  a  king  on  important  business,  and  should  in  the 
midst  of  his  conversation,  on  the  occurrence  of  some 
trivial  excitement,  catching  a  shark,  for  example, 
jump  up  and  leave  him  abruptly,  I  would  be  treat 
ing  him  with  great  disrespect,  would  I  not  ?  I  have 
just  been  reading  a  message  from,  and  holding  a  con 
versation  with  the  GREAT  KING,  and  I  think  to  stop 
short  and  run  away  to  see  a  fish  killed  on  this  his 
holy  day,  would  not  be  treating  him  with  becoming 
courtesy." 

"  True,"  said  he ;  "that's  consistent ;  you're  right." 

So  in  the  great  horse-race  excitement  I  was  en 
gaged  in  preparing  to  build  a  house  for  the  Lord  ; 
and  I  did  not  wish  to  give  countenance  to  such  en 
tertainments. 

After  spending  a  couple  of  days  in  San  Jose*  solicit 
ing  for  our  new  church,  and  getting  on  subscription 
about  two  thousand  dollars,  I  returned  to  San  Fran 
cisco.  My  visit  to  the  hospital  the  day  after  my 
return  is  thus  noted  in  my  journal : 

"April  5,  1850.— Visited  hospital  this  P.M. 
Eight  or  ten  persons  have  died  during  my  brief 


148  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

absence.  C.  W.  Bradley,  from  Louisiana,  died  to 
day  while  I  was  there.  Said  he,  when  dying :  1 1 
am  ready;  I  resign  all  to  Jesus.  Tell  my  wife  to 
meet  me  in  heaven.' 

"  Poor  M.,  one  of  the  men  I  rescued  from  the  other 
hospital,  (see  "  Seven  Years'  Street  Preaching  in  San 
Francisco,"  etc.,  p.  66,)  died  cursing  and  swearing  in 
the  bitterest  despair. 

"D.  is  an  honest-looking  pioneer,  a  man  of  good 
common  sense  and  information  ;  has  been  religiously 
educated,  has  a  Methodist  wife  at  home,  but  is  sink 
ing  to  the  grave  without  salvation.  He  says  :  "  It's 
so  presumptuous,  now  that  Pm  dying,  to  offer  myself 
to  God ;  I  cannot  do  it.  It  is  impossible  for  me  to 
receive  pardon !' " 

These  are  but  specimens  of  a  various  multitude  of 
cases.  The  day  after  the  above  was  penned  I  was 
called  to  see  Dr.  G.  He  lay  in  a  small  shanty  on  a 
sand  hill,  near  what  is  now  the  corner  of  Mont 
gomery  and  Pine  streets ;  and  as  his  case  will  illus 
trate  the  condition  of  hundreds  whom  I  have  seen 
encounter  death  on  those  distant  shores,  I  will  give  a 
brief  description  of  it. 

He  was  an  intelligent  man,  had  been  favored  with 
good  literary  and  religious  educational  advantages, 
had  a  pious  wife  at  home ;  but  there  he  was,  an  iso 
lated  stranger  among  strangers,  reduced  to  penury, 
far  gone  with  chronic  diarrhea,  utterly  dispirited,  no 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  149 

hope  in  this  life,  and  worse  than  all,  no  hope  beyond 
the  grave.  Said  he :  "I  have  always  known  it  was 
my  duty  to  serve  God,  and  have  had  a  great  many 
invitations  to  accept  of  mercy  through  Christ ;  hut, 
though  outwardly  moral,  I  have  lived  a  great  sinner 
against  God  all  my  life,  and  now  I'm  caught !  I'm 
caught  at  last !  God  is  about  to  call  me  to  judgment 
without  mercy." 

I  urged  him  to  seek  God's  favor,  and  trust  in  the 
merits  of  Jesus. 

" Too  late  now,"  said  he  ;  "I  have  been  so  pre 
sumptuous  and  wicked  there's  no  hope  for  me.  I 
sometimes  catch  at  something  that  inspires  a  little 
hope,  but  again  lose  my  hold,  and  all  is  darkness. 
There  appears  to  be  a  thick  vail  between  God  and 
my  soul ;  a  bar  that  I  cannot  get  over.  I  feel  that 
when  I  leave  this  world  I  shall  have  no  home  and  no 
employment !  I  wish  I  never  had  been  born  !  For 
what  purpose  have  I  had  an  existence  ?  The  world 
could  have  done  without  me ;  I've  done  no  good  in 
it !  I  might  have  been  saved,  but  I  refused ;  and 
now  I  must  be  the  personification  of  everything 
that  is  despicable,  and  wretched,  and  mean  for 
ever  !" 

I  talked,  and  sung,  and  prayed,  and  did  everything 
I  could  to  inspire  a  hope  in  the  poor  fellow's  heart, 
in  the  light  of  which  he  might  find  his  way  to  the 
cross  of  Jesus,  but  all  without  effect. 


150  CALIFOKNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTEATED. 

At  another  time  when  I  called  to  see  him,  for  I 
saw  him  frequently,  he  said  : 

"I  have  been  trying  since  you  were  here  to  seek 
Jesus,  but  I  cannot  find  him." 

When  I  represented  to  him  the  mercy  of  God  in 
Christ,  he  replied  : 

"  God  has  given  me  commandments  to  keep,  but  I 
have  broken  them  all  my  life.  I  often  felt  guilt  and 
sorrow  for  my  sins,  but  did  the  same  things  again, 
and  now  God  has  gone  from  me." 

I  then  gave  him  the  Saviour's  illustration  of  impor 
tunity  in  seeking,  and  his  encouraging  command  and 
promise :  "  Ask  and  ye  shall  receive ;  seek  and  ye 
shall  find ;  knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you." 

"  I  fain  would  ask,"  replied  he  ;  "  but  when  I  try 
I  talk  to  vacancy,  I  find  not  the  ear  of  God  ;  I  know 
not  how  to  seek,  and  I  cannot  find  the  place  to 
knock." 

Alas!  thought  I,  poor  Esau;  birthright  gone,  and 
no  place  for  repentance.  How  my  soul  pitied  him. 
I  then  said,  "  O  my  dear  brother,  you  must  not  give 
yourself  up  to  despair." 

"  It  has  given  itself  to  me,"  said  he ;  "  it  covers  my 
soul  with  the  pall  of  death,  and  overwhelms  me  in 
darkness  without  hope." 

Soon  after  this  interview,  when  death  struck  him, 
he  begged  most  imploringly  :  "  Help  me  up  !  O  do 
help  me  up !  Set  me  down  on  the  floor." 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  151 

He  was  helped  out  of  bed  by  those  present,  and 
gasped  and  died  before  they  could  get  him  back. 
What  madness  and  folly  to  postpone  the  great  busi 
ness  of  life,  for  the  accomplishment  of  which  the 
Lord  does  not  give  us  too  much  time  nor  strength, 
to  such  an  hour,  when  time  and  strength  have  fled. 

Wednesday,  April  10,  found  me  on  my  way  a 
second  time  to  Santa  Cruz,  to  organize  a  quarterly 
conference,  and  hold  a  meeting.  Before  starting 
that  morning  I  sold  a  lot  of  Methodist  books  to  a 
Brother  Walker,  to  take  to  New  South  Wales ;  also 
sold  rny  horse  to  W.  O.  Johnson  for  one  hundred 
and  fifty-two  dollars,  reserving  two  trips  on  him  to 
Santa  Cruz,  thereby  securing  the  end  without  the 
risk  and  expense  of  keeping  him.  Bought  him  to 
save  expense ;  amount  saved,  one  hundred  and  sixty 
dollars ;  sold  him  to  save  expense ;  cost  in  the 
country  one  hundred  and  ten  dollars ;  brought  in  the 
city  one  hundred  and  fifty-two  dollars.  Johnson 
afterward  told  me  he  was  a  "lucky  horse"  for  him; 
said  after  making  ten  thousand  dollars  in  California, 
his  livery  stable  was  burned,  and  everything  in  it 
except  "Charley."  He  had  to  begin  the  world 
again  with  nothing  but  that  horse,  but  started  the 
same  business  with  him,  and  in  two  years  regained 
all  he  had  lost. 

I  did  better  with  that  horse  than  1  did  with  the 
mule  on  which  I  traveled  a  couple  of  months  in  the 


152  CALIFORNIA    LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

mines.  Bought  the  mule  for  ninety  dollars,  rode 
him  about  two  hundred  miles,  and  fell  in  with  a 
"  packer,"  who  claimed  him,  and  proved  property ; 
but  in  consideration  of  my  having  bought  him  before 
in  good  faith,  he  sold  him  to  me  for  fifty  dollars. 
When  I  returned  from  the  mountains  I  put  him  in 
charge  of  a  man  who  had  a  "ranch"  on  Sacramento 
River,  to  have  him  recruited,  and  took  his  receipt. 
When  I  sent  to  get  the  mule,  the  "ranch"  was  still 
there,  but  the  man,  mule,  saddle,  bridle,  and  all, 
"  had  gone  to  other  diggins,"  and  I  have  not  heard 
of  them  since. 

The  following  scrap  from  my  journal  notes  an 
incident  of  that  trip  to  Santa  Cruz  : 

"Friday,  Apt4l  12,  1850. — On  my  way  to  quar 
terly  meeting  in  Santa  Cruz;  now  seated  at  one 
P.M.  under  the  shade  of  an  ancient  oak,  which 
stands  on  the  summit  of  the  coast  range  of  mount 
ains  between  San  Jos6  Yalley  and  the  Pacific  Ocean, 
from  which  both  are  in  view.  I  am  in  the  midst  of 
one  of  nature's  grand  pasture  fields  of  wild  oats  and 
grass.  While  my  horse  is  grazing,  having  taken  my 
cold  lunch  alone,  I  have  just  had  a  precious  season 
of  prayer  <  on  the  mount.'  Jesus  often  went  up  into 
a  mountain  to  pray.  I  have  prayed  on  many  a 
mountain  on  both  the  Eastern  and  Western  slopes  of 
the  continent,  and  have  always  found  the  mount  a 
good  place  for  prayer.  Its  pure  air,  its  grand  im- 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  153 

press! ve  scenery,  its  altitude,  bearing  you  away 
heavenward  far  above  the  din  and  bustle  of  the 
babbling  world  beneath. 

"  Jesus  had  a  reason  for  going  up  into  a  mountain 
to  pray.  I  now  mount  my  horse  and  travel  on ; 
very  warm ;  have  to  walk  a  great  deal,  because  of 
the  roughness  and  danger  of  the  way.  Half  past 
four  P.  M.,  have  just  got  through  the  mountain,  and 
seated  myself  in  the  midst  of  one  of  nature's  most 
beautiful  flower-gardens  to  rest. 

"  The  Lord  has  lavished  more  beauty  on  California 
than  upon  any  spot  I  have  ever  seen.  The  perfect 
transparency  of  her  atmosphere,  the  salubriousness 
of  her  climate,  the  sublimity  of  her  mountains,  the 
invigorating  freshness  of  her  ocean  breezes,  the 
beauty  of  her  valleys,  and  the  variety  and  extent 
of  her  native  flower-gardens,  carpeting  hill  and  dale 
for  miles  together  with  all  the  colors  of  light,  are 
quite  without  a  parallel  anywhere  in  *  Uncle  Sam's ' 
dominions,  if  not  in  the  world. 

"  For  a  couple  of  miles  back,  as  I  came  through  a 
dense  chaperel  thicket,  I  have  been  on  the  track  of 
a  grizzly  bear.  His  track,  by  measurement,  was 
fourteen  inches  long  and  seven  wide ;  he  must  have 
been  a  monster.  I  was  on  the  look-out  at  every  turn 
of  the  path  to  see  him  start  up  before  me,  and  won 
dered  whether  or  not  he  would  clear  the  track. 
The  path  was  cut  so  deeply  by  the  winter  torrents, 


154  CALIFORNIA    LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

and  was  in  many  places  so  narrow,  that  there  was  no 
chance  to  wheel  and  retreat.  I,  however,  felt  but 
little  fear,  for  I  regard  old  grizzly  as  one  of  my 
Father's  domestics,  and  can't  hurt  me  without  his 
consent ;  still,  if  I  saw  him  coming,  and  had  room, 
I  should  be  like  the  fellow  I  heard  of  a  few  days 
ago.  He  got  rather  close  to  an  old  grizzly  in  this 
very  mountain,  and  bruin  took  after  him  as  fast  as 
he  could  run,  and  the  fellow  almost  killed  his  mule 
getting  out  of  the  way ;  but  he  cleared  the  track, 
and  saved  his  mule  meat  and  his  own  as  well." 

Organized  and  held  our  quarterly  conference  on 
Saturday,  April  13th,  at  four  o'clock  P.  M.  Ee- 
newed  the  preaching  license  of  E.  Anthony,  A.  A. 
Hecox,  H.  S.  Loveland,  and  Enos  Beaumont ;  and  at 
that  meeting  licensed  Alexander  M'Lean  to  exhort. 
He  afterward  became  a  very  useful  young  preacher 
in  California,  but  feeling  it  his  duty  to  take  a  course 
at  the  Biblical  Institute  in  Concord,  we  very  reluc 
tantly  gave  him  up,  hoping  that  he  would  afterward 
go  into  the  work  in  California.  He  took  his  course ; 
I  believe  graduated,  and  is  still  a  preacher,  though 
not  in  the  itinerant  work.  I  am  decidedly  in  favor 
of  the  thorough  preparation  of  mind  and  heart  for  the 
work  of  the  Christian  ministry;  but  when  a  man  is 
called  of  God  to  preach  the  Gospel,  and  in  the  order 
of  Providence  is  as  actively  and  efficiently  committed 
to  the  work  as  was  Brother  M'Lean,  I  very  much 


MISSIONARY    LIFE.  155 

question  whether  it  is  his  duty  to  leave  the  regular 
work  to  go  to  Concord,  Jericho,  or  anywhere  else.  1 
have  no  doubt  that  Brother  M'Lean  is  useful  wher 
ever  he  is,  but  I  think  he  ought  to  be  wholly  devoted 
to  the  ministry.  He  is  a  very  capable  young  man. 

On  my  way  to  the  meeting  above  referred  to,  I 
put  up  at  a  public  house,  where  they  made  no 
charge  except  for  my  horse,  and  invited  me  to  stay 
with  them  whenever  I  could;  said  they  were  "al 
ways  glad  to  see  the  preachers."  Eeturning,  I  spent 
a  night  at  the  same  place,  and  took  with  me  three 
travelers,  who  designed  going  elsewhere.  My  host 
talked  very  kindly  to  me,  but  charged  us  all  alike, 
five  dollars  and  fifty  cents  each  for  our  night's  lodg 
ing  and  breakfast.  I  could  not  account  for  the 
change  of  his  conduct  toward  me,  unless,  1st,  his 
covetousness  got  the  mastery  of  his  "kind  feelings 
for  the  preachers;"  or,  2d,  his  wife,  who  seemed  to 
be  the  personification  of  grasping  cupidity,  charged 
him  to  charge  me. 

He  was  like  a  Christian  an  old  sailor  tells  about. 
"There  is  a  clothing  merchant  up  in  Boston,"  said 
Jack,  "who  keeps  that  command  in  the  Scriptures 
where  it  says,  'Thou  shalt  take  the  stranger  in.'  I 
was  a  stranger  and  he  took  me  in  bad  on  a  pea-jacket 
I  bought  of  him." 

On  my  return  to  San  Francisco,  I  learned  that 
the  first  missionaries  from  the  Methodist  Episcopal 

10 


156  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

Church,  South,  Dr.  Jesse  Boring,  and  Brothers  Pol 
lock  and  Winn  had  arrived.  Up  to  that  time,  Meth 
odism  in  California  had  been  as  true  to  its  native 
instincts — devotion  of  heart  to  God,  and  the  union 
of  a  common  brotherhood,  through  that  favorite 
nursery  of  Christian  sympathy,  the  class-meeting 
— as  the  needle  to  the  pole ;  a  unit ;  no  North  nor 
South  ever  mentioned.  The  only  question  they 
ever  asked  me  on  their  arrival,  anywhere  from 
Maine  to  Florida  was,  "Are  you  a  Methodist 
preacher?"  "Yes,  sir,  I  pass  for  one."  "I 
thought  so,"  was  generally  the  reply,  followed  by 
another,  "  shake  hands,"  and  a  hearty,  mutual  con 
gratulation  on  the  enjoyment  of  the  blessings  and 
privileges  of  our  common  Methodism  on  the  Pacific 
coast.  And  I  really  thought  by  burying  all  local 
prejudices,  and  by  uniting  the  cool,  calculating 
heads  of  the  North,  and  the  warm  hearts  of  the 
South  in  one  body,  and  then  have  that  body  in 
vested  with  the  characteristic  energy  of  California 
life,  and  then  have  all  sanctified  to  God,  we  would 
raise  up  on  the  Pacific  coast  the  greatest  people  in 
the  world.  I  must  say,  therefore,  that  I  looked  with 
fearful  apprehension  upon  an  effort  to  make  "  twain" 
of  that  which,  I  thought,  for  the  honor  and  efficiency 
of  our  common  Methodism  in  California,  should  be 
but  ONE.  I  immediately  went,  however,  and  called 
on  the  newly  arrived  brethren  of  the  Church,  South. 


MISSIONARY   LIFE.  157 

My  feelings  and  views  in  regard  to  them  are  ex 
pressed  in  my  journal  as  follows  : 

"  Thursday,  April  18,  1850. — Learned  on  my  re 
turn  to-day,  that  the  representation  of  the  Southern 
Church  had  arrived,  and  in  company  with  Dr.  B. 
Miller,  I  called  and  spent  an  hour  with  them.  They 
avow  neutrality  on  the  slavery  question ;  say  they 
do  not  believe  that  slavery  ever  will  exist  in  Cali 
fornia,  but  that  the  Church,  South,  as  a  Christian 
Church,  claim  the  privilege  of  sending  missionaries 
to  China,  California,  or  wherever  they  think  they 
can  do  good.  I  take  them  to  be  Christian  men, 
and  true  ministers  of  the  Gospel,  and  as  such  I  shall 
treat  them  till  they  convince  me  that  I  am  mistaken. 
There  is  a  great  work  for  Christian  men  and  minis 
ters  to  do  in  California,  and  if  the  Lord  has  sent 
these  men  here  to  help  do  it,  I  pray  that  he  may 
open  their  way  for  harmonious  action  with  other 
Churches,  and  give  them  great  success  in  saving- 
souls  ;  if  the  Lord  has  not  sent  them  here,  I  hope 
he  will  send  them  back  where  they  came  from,  and 
the  sooner  the  better.  I  shall  leave  them  in  his 
hands,  and  not  attempt  to  drive  them  away.  I  shall 
give  them  a  welcome  to  my  pulpit  and  to  my  heart, 
as  men  of  God,  while  they  act  as  such. 

Brother  Pollock  was  stationed  in  Sacramento  City, 
and  was  cordially  received  by  Brother  Owen,  who 
not  only  invited  him  to  his  pulpit,  but  gave  him  a 


158  CALIFOENIA   LIFE   ILUSTRATED. 

list  of  the  names  of  all  his  members  who  had  come 
from  the  South.  I  did  not  feel  like  going  quite  so 
far  as  that.  Many  of  my  members  were  from  the 
South,  and  I  loved  them.  They  had  joined  my 
Church  voluntarily,  without  a  word  of  persuasion, 
and  I  thought  now,  if  they  wish  to  leave  and  join  the 
Church,  South,  they  may  report  themselves  and  go  as 
they  came.  One  or  two  felt  it  their  duty  to  go,  and 
I  did  not  blame  them.  The  greater  number  thought 
it  their  duty  to  remain  with  us,  and  I  thought  they 
did  right  to  do  so. 

But  I  am  clearly  of  the  opinion,  that  however  sin 
cere  and  holy  the  ministers  of  both  parties,  one 
organization  of  Methodism  in  California  would  ac 
complish  at  least  twice  the  amount  of  good  in  the 
salvation  of  sinners,  and  the  redemption  of  that  fair 
land,  than  the  two  are  accomplishing,  or  can  accom 
plish.  True,  we  have  not  spent  much  time  and  am 
munition  in  fighting  each  other,  and  never  expect  to ; 
but  our  relative  position  is  such  that  there  are  hun 
dreds,  and  probably  thousands,  who  would  have 
been  warm  friends  of  either  branch  had  it  been  alone, 
who  will  commit  themselves  to  neither,  situated  as 
we  are.  I  will  illustrate  the  truth  of  this  view  of  the 
subject  by  a  specimen  case.  J.  D.  Hoppe,  a  mer 
chant  in  San  Jose",  member  of  the  convention  that 
framed  the  constitution  of  the  state,  a  friend  to 
Methodism,  had  been  a  Church  member  in  Missouri, 


MISSIONARY   LIFE.  159 

gave  me  a  subscription  of  one  hundred  dollars  for  our 
church  there,  and  verbally  promised  two  hundred  dol 
lars  more  as  we  progressed  in  the  work;  but  afterward, 
hearing  of  the  arrival  of  the  Southern  representation, 
he  said  to  me :  "  By  the  organization  of  two  Method 
ist  Churches  in  California  you  are  going  to  have  col 
lision  and  strife,  and  I'll  have  nothing  to  do  with 
either  party  of  you.  I'm  sorry  I  promised  to  help 
you  with  your  church.  The  hundred  dollars  I  sub 
scribed  I'll  pay,"  handing  it  to  me  at  the  same  time ; 
"  but  I'll  subscribe  no  more,  and  pay  no  more  to 
either  party  of  you."  I  believe  he  kept  his  word  to 
the  day  of  his  death.  The  poor  fellow  died  in  San 
Francisco  about  three  years  after,  from  burns  re- 
ceived  in  the  explosion  of  the  steamer  "  Jenny  Lind." 
I  believe  a  legion  of  similar  illustrations  could  be 
produced. 

The  chapel  we  built  in  San  Jos6  during  the  sum 
mer  of  1850  is  still  in  use  by  a  flourishing  society  and 
Sunday  school:  a  good  station,  giving  support  to  a 
preacher  and  family. 

As  a  bit  of  personal  experience  in  California,  I  will 
insert  a  birthday  notice  from  my  journal : 

"  Thursday,  May  2,  1850.  I  am  this  day  twenty- 
nine  years  of  age.  How  astonishing  to  me  that  I  am 
entering  my  thirtieth  year.  I  feel  like  a  boy.  I  have 
not  at  all,  as  yet,  realized  my  aspirations  for  literary 
and  spiritual  attainment,  nor  my  ideal  of  manhood. 


160  CALIEOKNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTKATED. 

If  I  may  judge  of  the  future  by  the  past,  I  shall  never 
learn  much  from  books.  Inestimable  treasure  lies 
locked  up  in  my  library,  but  I  do  not  take  time  to 
count  it  out  and  use  it ;  always  intending  to  do  so, 
but  always  attending  to  other  duties,  such  as  visiting 
the  sick,  looking  after  Book  Depository,  answering 
the  ten  thousand  questions  asked  by  strangers,  just 
arriving,  about  California,  etc.,  my  time  is  cut  up 
into  so  many  fragments  that  it  appears  to  be  lost.  I 
am  spread  over  so  much  surface  that  I  cannot  con 
centrate  what  I  consider  effective  force  at  any  one 
point.  O  Lord,  in  whatever  else  I  am  disappointed, 
let  me  live  in  thee,  and  win  souls  to  Christ !  Twenty- 
nine  years  more,  and  I  will  probably  be  dead ;  nay, 
alive  for  evermore." 


SOCIAL   LIFE.  161 


CHAPTER  VI. 

SOCIAL   LIFE   IN   CAUFOENIA. 

SOCIAL  life  indeed !  Precious  little  of  that  article 
found  or  even  tolerated  in  California  for  years. 
California  was  a  vast  social  Sahara.  The  element  of 
social  life,  to  be  sure,  is  inherent  in  our  being,  and 
has,  perhaps,  a  more  prominent  and  varied  manifes 
tation  in  human  life,  than  any  other  principle  essen 
tial  to  humanity.  Its  most  appropriate  sphere  of 
manifestation  is  in  the  well  ordered  family.  It  gives 
vitality  and  felicity  to  connubial,  paternal,  maternal, 
and  filial  relationships.  It  constitutes  the  integral 
bond  which  unites  the  family  together,  the  severance 
of  which  is  as  the  lightning  bolt  entering  a  man's  soul. 
The  man  or  woman  in  whom  this  principle  is  dead 
is  a  misanthrope,  and  abides  in  darkness,  uncheered 
by  one  ray  of  light  or  hope  ;  loves  neither  father,  nor 
mother,  nor  brother,  nor  sister,  nor  son,  nor  daughter; 
a  miserable  being  all  alone  in  the  world.  The  man 
who  has  no  appropriate  object  on  which  to  exercise 
his  social  affections,  is  a  Selkirk,  standing  on  his 
lonely  island,  surrounded  by  an  ocean  wa?te,  fit 


162  CALIFORNIA    LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

emblem  of  the  deep,  dark  void  of  his  own  restless  soul. 
Look,  for  example,  even  at  Father  Adam  in  Eden. 
A  bran  new  creation,  all  beaming  in  untarnished 
glory,  and  by  the  Creator  himself  pronounced 
u  good,"  spread  out  before  him.  But  among  the 
teeming  millions  of  animated  nature,  all  moving  in 
their  pristine  strength  and  beauty,  there  was  not 
found  a  helpmeet  for  poor  Adam,  though  he  sought 
one  diligently.  The  Lord  saw  that  he  was  in  a  bad 
state  of  single  wretchedness  and  said,  "It  is  not 
good  that  the  man  should  be  alone  :  I  will  make  him 
a  helpmeet  for  him."  When  Adam  awoke  from  that 
"  deep  sleep,"  and  set  his  eyes  on  an  object  worthy 
his  love,  the  most  beautiful  creature  he  ever  saw  in 
his  life,  part  of  himself,  for  himself,  and  all  his  own, 
loving  him,  and  waiting  to  be  loved  by  him,  his  par 
adise  was  complete ;  and  Father  Adam  has  ten 
thousand  sons  in  California  to-day,  any  one  of  whom 
would  be  most  happy  to  sleep  such  a  sleep  as  that, 
and  to  have  two  ribs  taken  out,  if  need  be,  could  he 
but  wake  up  in  possession  of  a  helpmeet.  Alas  !  poor 
fellows,  they  have  often  slept  a  "  deep  sleep,"  and 
dreamed  something  about  extracted  ribs,  and  waked 
but  to  stare  out  on  their  own  isolated  wretchedness. 
The  tearful  adieus  of  fathers,  and  sons,  and  broth 
ers,  as  they  departed  for  California,  told  of  the  deep- 
gushing  fountains  of  social  sympathy  and  affection 
which  swelled  their  hearts.  For  weeks  afterward 


SOCIAL   LIFE.  163 

they  gazed  daily,  with  tearful  interest,  at  the  me 
mentoes  from  loved  ones,  already  painfully  distant ; 
but  they  had  launched  out  on  unexplored  seas  of 
wealth-seeking  adventure,  and  must  look  ahead. 
Many  were  without  moral  quadrant,  compass,  or 
chart,  but  all  had  the  telescope  of  manifest  destiny, 
through  which  they  could  see  in  the  distance  the 
auriferous  mountains.  Dark  clouds  sometimes  inter 
cepted  their  vision,  but  their  edges  were  so  beauti 
fully  fringed  by  the  sunshine  of  hope,  that  they  only 
added  grandeur  to  the  scene.  Each  one  felt  as  cer 
tain  of  getting  there,  and  of  "  making  his  pile,"  as 
did  the  prophet  Balaam,  when  trotting  over  to 
Mount  Peor ;  but,  poor  fellows,  how  many  of  them, 
like  the  prophet,  were  "  driven  to  the  wall." 
Having  reached  the  land  of  gold,  and  the  flurry  and 
surprises  of  the  arrival  over,  then  came  the  initia 
tion  of  the  "  green  horns,"  as  they  were  familiarly 
called,  into  the  mysteries  of  California  life,  which 
was  a  very  interesting,  and  in  many  cases  a  very 
serious  affair.  Some  meeting  friends  there,  had  but 
little  difficulty ;  but  many  arrived  destitute  of  both 
friends  and  funds.  All,  however,  soon  learned  that 
to  succeed  in  California,  every  man  must  be  self- 
reliant  and  independent,  a  brave  on  his  own  account. 
Home  reflections  and  associations  brought  painful 
contrasts  to  view,  and  led  to  gloomy  forebodings, 
and  must  hence  be  dismissed  from  their  minds. 


164  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

Those  who  "  put  up  at  the  hotel,  at  thirty  dollars  per 
week,"  found  no  soft  beds  in  rosewood,  with  downy 
pillows,  but  occupied  "  bunks "  made  of  rough 
boards,  on  the  side  of  the  wall,  shelving  one  above 
another,  as  in  emigrant  ships.  I  have  seen  not  only 
the  walls  of  hotel  lofts  thus  lined  with  bunks,  but 
large  cribs  of  them,  extending  up  to  the  roof  of  the 
house,  covering  the  entire  floor,  except  narrow 
passages  giving  access  to  them.  Sheets  were  a 
superfluity  not  indulged  in ;  pillows  were  of  straw ; 
mattresses,  where  they  had  any,  were  of  the  same; 
but  in  many  cases  the  sleeper  lay  on  the  board 
which  held  him  up  off  his  follow-sleeper  beneath.  I 
tried  one  night  to  sleep  in  one,  which,  unfortunately 
for  me,  was  covered  with  cross  slats,  evidently 
designed  for  a  mattress ;  but  the  last-mentioned  very 
important  article,  in  such  a  case,  was  not  there. 
Turning  and  rolling  on  these  slats,  I  longed  for  the 
morning.  The  soft  side  of  a  board,  compared  with 
them,  would  have  been  a  luxury. 

To  the  foregoing  sleeping  arrangements,  if  you  add 
a  few  coarse  gray  blankets,  you  will  have  an  original 
California  lodging-house  furnished.  I  heard  it  posi 
tively  asserted  by  many,  who  had  been  made  trem 
blingly  sensible  of  the  fact,  that  in  some  houses  a  few 
pair  of  blankets  supplied  a  houseful  of  lodgers.  As 
the  weary  fellows  "turned  in"  one  after  another, 
they  were  comfortably  covered  till  they  would  fall 


CAL1KOKNIA     LODUING-KOOM. 


SOCIAL    LIFE.  167 

into  a  sound  sleep,  and  then  the  blankets  were  re 
moved  to  cover  a  new  recruit,  and  thus  they  were 
passed  round  for  the  accommodation  of  the  whole 
company.  By  way  of  variety,  the  adventurous  lodg 
ers  in  those  pioneer  hotels  were  frequently  visited 
by  the  third  plague  of  Egypt,  accompanied  by  a 
liliputian  host  of  the  flea  tribe,  whose  stimulating 
influence  upon  their  subjects  is  represented  in  the 
accompanying  cut.  Any  man  who  is  not  proof 
against  fleas,  or  who  cannot  effect  a  good  insurance 
on  his  skin,  had  better  keep  away  from  old  Spanish 
towns  and  Indian  villages.  When  I  was  at  Val 
paraiso  I  preached  for  the  Kev.  Mr.  Trumbull ;  spent 
an  evening  in  his  company,  and  heard  him  relate  a 
little  of  his  experience  with  fleas.  Said  he  :  "  When 
I  first  came  to  this  place  I  feared  the  fleas  would 
worry  the  life  out  of  me.  I  could  neither  eat  nor 
sleep,  nor  stay  awake  with  any  comfort.  But  after  a 
few  weeks  I  got  used  to  them,  and  now  I  pay  no  atten 
tion  to  them.  The  biting  of  a  dozen  at  once  don't 
cause  me  to  wince,  nor  lift  my  pen  from  my  paper." 
Others,  not  willing  to  pay  much  for  the  mere 
name  of  "boarding  at  the  hotel,"  formed  mess- 
companies,  pitched  their  own  tent,  bought  a  skillet 
and  coffee-pot,  and  kept  "bachelor's  hall."  This 
mode  of  life  is  familiarly  known  in  California  as 
"ranching."  Their  tent  or  cabin  is  called  the  "ranch," 
from  "rancho,"  the  Spanish  name  for  a  farm.  A 


168  CALIFOKNIA    LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

large  proportion  of  the  miners  still  live  in  this  way. 
" Ranchers"  usually  cook  by  turns;  sleep  in  bunks 
furnished  with  a  pair  of  blankets,  and  a  few  old 
clothes ;  a  pair  of  trowsers  rolled  up  with  an  old  coat, 
make  a  pretty  good  pillow.  "  "Wash-day"  among  the 
ranchers  comes  but  seldom,  and  is  never  welcome ; 
for  there  are  no  wives,  nor  daughters,  nor  Bridgets 
to  do  the  washing.  In  San  Francisco,  in  1849-50, 
there  was  but  little  washing  done.  Men  had  not  yet 
learned  how,  and  to  have  it  done  cost  from  six  to  nine 
dollars  per  dozen ;  so  it  was  generally  found  cheaper 
to  give  their  check-shirts  a  good  wearing,  (white  was 
out  of  the  question,)  and  then  shed  them  off  into  the 
streets,  and  put  on  new  ones.  I  have  seen  dozens  of 
shirts  lying  around  in  the  streets  and  vacant  lots, 
which  had  thus  been  worn  once  and  never  washed. 
There  were  yet  other  fortune-seekers  who,  instead  of 
ranching  in  companies,  went  alone.  How  they  lived 
I  know  not ;  but  they  slept  each  in  a  home-made  cot, 
at  each  end  of  which  was  a  fork,  driven  into  the 
ground,  in  which  lay  a  ridge-pole,  with  just  enough 
of  canvas  stretched  over  it  to  cover  the  cot.  The 
cot,  tent,  and  all  were  not  four  feet  high.  There 
was  one  of  this  kind  during  the  winter  of  1849-50 
near  where  I  lived  on  Jackson-street.  In  the  morning 
I  could  see  the  fellow  crawl  out  of  his  cot  from  under 
his  little  tent,  sometimes  head  foremost ;  at  other  times 
his  feet  would  first  appear.  While  I  have  seen  large 


SOCIAL   LIFE.  169 

tents  carried  before  the  blast,  ridge-pole,  rigging  and 
all,  this  little  tent,  which  looked  like  a  covered  grave, 
stood  the  storms  of  winter  without  moving  a  pin. 

The  various  classes  thus  described  are  not  made  up 
of  the  isolated  cases,  but  represent  the  great  mass  of 
the  early  denizens  of  the  golden  land ;  men  who  wore 
check-shirts,  and  gray  or  red  flannel,  instead  of  coats ; 
trowsers,  fastened  up  by  a  leather-girdle,  such  as  was 
worn  by  John  the  Baptist,  and  they  were  planted 
down  to  their  knees  into  the  coarsest  boots  the  market 
afforded.  These  were  the  men  who,  but  a  few 
months  before,  were  known  among  their  friends  at 
home  as  doctors,  lawyers,  judges,  and  mechanics, 
clothed  in  broadcloth  and  fine  linen,  each  one  a 
center  of  social  light  and  life,  around  which  daily 
revolved  the  beautiful  and  gay,  fair  daughters,  sisters, 
and  wives.  How  did  these  men  so  soon  become 
rustics  in  California?  What  has  become  of  their 
polish  and  social  life  ?  I'll  tell  you.  A  large  class 
of  California  adventurers  thought  about  home,  and 
mourned  their  absence  from  loved  ones,  till  gloom 
and  despair  settled  down  on  their  souls.  Hope  died, 
energy  and  effort  were  paralyzed,  and  they  became 
helpless  and  worthless.  Some  of  this  class  moved 
round  like  specters  a  few  months,  and  then  managed 
to  beg,  or  otherwise  secure  their  passage  home  to 
their  friends.  Whether  social  life  ever  had  a  sound 
revival  in  them  I  know  not. 


170  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

There  was  one  of  this  class  with  whom  I  was  ac 
quainted,  who  took  a  shipment  of  bonnets  to  Cali 
fornia  in  1849.  There  were  very  few  American 
ladies  in  the  country  ;  the  Spanish  ladies  wore  no 
bonnets,  so  my  friend  P.  found  no  sale  for  his  bon 
nets.  In  vain  he  peddled  them  round  among  the 
men  ;  no  one  wanted  a  bonnet.  He  had  some  money 
also,  but  knew  not  what  to  do  with  it.  Once  or 
twice  a  week  he  came  to  consult  me  as  to  what  he 
had  better  do?  Said  I :  " My  dear  fellow,  you  must  go 
to  work ;  you  cannot  long  bear  California  expenses 
unless  you  draw  upon  California  resources.  More 
over,  if  you  continue  to  mope  about  the  streets  you 
will  take  the  blues  so  badly  that  you'll  die ;  you  must 
do  something.  If  you  can't  open  a  large  store,  open 
a  stand  on  the  sidewalk  until  you  can  do  better ;  if 
you  can't  do  that,  go  to  work  on  the  streets,  roll  a 
wheel-barrow  at  four  dollars  per  day." 

"  I  can't  work  on  the  streets,"  said  he  ;  "  I've  al 
ways  been  accustomed  to  merchandising,  and  can't 
do  manual  labor  ;  but  I  must  go  into  business." 

"Yery  well,"  said  I;  "seek  an  opening  to-day,  and 
go  at  it," 

Some  time  after  this,  as  I  passed  down  Commercial- 
street,  I  saw  Mr.  P.  striding  diagonally  across  the 
street  to  meet  me.  His  face  seemed  much  elonga 
ted,  and  I  expected  to  hear  a  sad  tale.  Approaching 
me  he  said : 


SOCIAL   LIFE.  171 

"Mr.  Taylor,  what  shall  I  do?"  choking  with  an 
agony  of  emotion. 

"  What's  the  matter  now,  Mr.  P.  ?" 

"  O,"  said  he,  "  I  loaned  my  money  to  my  mess 
mate.  He  said  he  wanted  it  but  a  few  days,  till  I 
got  ready  to  go  into  business,  and  now  he's  got  my 
money  and  gone.  I  shall  never  see  him  again  !" 

"Well,  Mr.  P.,"  I  replied,  "I'm  very  sorry  for 
you ;  but  it's  no  use  to  mourn  over  lost  money  any 
more  than  over  spilled  milk.  There's  Captain  Wooley, 
whom  I  know  well,  who  made  a  thousand  dollars,  and 
one  day  last  week  as  he  was  leaving  his  ship  he  put 
his  purse  containing  his  one  thousand  dollars  in  gold 
dust  into  his  pocket ;  but  poor  fellow,  he  has  no  wife 
with  him  to  sew  up  the  holes  in  his  pocket,  so  as  he 
was  descending  his  ship's  ladder  his  purse,  gold  and 
all,  slipped  through  a  hole  in  his  pocket  into  the  bay. 
Well,  sir,  the  captain  said  he  never  looked  back,  nor 
lost  one  minute  grieving  over  it.  He  knew  it  was 
gone,  and  just  went  to  work  with  great  purpose  of 
heart  to  make  another  thousand.  And  yesterday  as 
I  walked  out  on  Montgomery-street,  a  man  called  me 
by  name  :  '  Mr.  Taylor,  look  here  ;  I  made  five  thou 
sand  dollars,  and  had  it  hid  away  in  my  shanty  here, 
and  last  night  some  rascal  came  and  stole  every  dollar 
of  it ;  so  I'm  just  where  I  started.  But  never  mind,' 
continued  he ;  <  I'll  go  to  work  and  make  five  thou 
sand  more,  and  will  try  and  put  it  where  the  rogues 


172  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

can't  get  hold  of  it.'  And  Mr.  E.,  a  friend  of  mine, 
who  boarded  up  town,  went  down  one  morning  to 
his  auction  store,  which  he  had  just  filled  with  goods 
on  his  own  account,  but  lo !  the  store,  goods  and  all 
were  gone!  While  he  slept  the  whole  were  con 
sumed  by  fire.  Did  he  stop  to  mourn  over  his  losses? 
No,  sir  ;  he  got  another  place,  and  went  into  business 
before  the  setting  of  that  day's  sun.  And  here  are 
hundreds  of  men  who  had  made  a  fortune,  and  had 
it  all  invested  in  their  storehouses  and  the  goods  that 
filled  them,  and  in  a  single  night  the  dreadful  fires 
we  have  had  have  laid  them  all  in  ashes.  Well,  sir, 
in  the  midst  of  smoke  and  ruins  a  new  store,  phoenix 
like,  springs  right  up,  and  is  filled  with  goods  by  the 
time  the  smoke  of  their  former  fortunes  has  cleared 
away.  So  you  see,  Mr.  P.,  if  you  would  get  along  in 
California  you  must  pick  up  courage  and  go  to  work, 
and  stick  to  it  till  success  crowns  your  patient  toil." 

Mr.  P.  soon  afterward  returned  home,  where  he 
should  have  stayed  in  the  first  place. 

Another  of  this  class  came  often  to  me  to  know 
"  what  he  must  do  to  be  saved "  from  starvation  ? 
So  I  said  to  him  one  day  : 

"  Mr.  L.,  a  wag  was  once  asked,  '  How  many  dog 
days  are  there  ?'  His  prompt  reply  was,  '  Every  dog 
has  his  day.'  Now,  Mr.  L.,  if  you'll  go  to  work,  and 
be  patient,  I  think  you'll  have  your  day  in  California, 
as  well  as  others." 


SOCIAL    LIFE.  1*73 

He  afterward  succeeded  much  better,  and  at 
tributed  his  success  mainly  to  that  little  piece  of 
advice.  But  a  great  many  of  this  class  in  their 
despondency  gave  up,  and  sought  comfort  in  the 
intoxicating  bowl,  and  went  down  to  infamy  and 
death.  As  I  walked  over  the  sand  hills  back  of  the 
city  of  San  Francisco,  I  found  Simon  S.  lying  under 
a  scrub  oak,  in  rags,  reduced  by  drunkenness  and  dis 
ease  to  the  verge  of  the  grave.  As  I  exhorted  him 
to  give  up  strong  drink,  seek  religion,  go  to  work, 
and  become  a  man,  O  how  bitterly  he  wept;  but, 
poor  fellow,  energy  was  gone,  hope  had  fled,  nothing 
left  to  stimulate  an  effort. 

H.  S.,  a  fine  business  man,  with  an  interesting 
young  wife  and  child  in  the  city  of  B.,  was  taken 
from  the  gutter  by  his  friends  again  and  again. 
They  knew  him  at  home  and  loved  him,  and  greatly 
desired  to  save  him,  but  finally,  during  one  of  those 
dreadful  nights  of  storm  and  tempest  in  San  Fran 
cisco,  in  the  winter  of  1849,  he  was  picked  up  by  the 
police,  and  put  into  a  station-house  on  the  Plaza  for 
protection  from  the  rain ;  and  in  the  morning,  when 
they  went  to  wake  him  up,  they  found  him  cold  in 
death.  I  need  not  multiply  the  notices  of  such  cases, 
as  I  have  seen  them  by  hundreds  by  the  waysides 
and  in  the  hospitals.  Their  "  name  is  legion." 

There  was  another  large  class  of  California  adven 
turers,  who,  retaining  their  social  life,  and  hope,  and 

11 


174  CALIFORNIA    LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

energy,  tried  to  substitute  objects  of  social  affection 
for  the  wives,  sisters,  and  daughters  they  could  not 
see.  These  substitutes  consisted  of  pet  dogs,  cats, 
etc.  A  company  of  men  ranching  near  where  I 
lived  on  Jackson-street,  had  at  one  time  a  couple  of 
grizzly  bears,  with  which  they  spent  their  social 
hours.  A  pet  coon  made  a  pretty  good  companion 
for  some,  others  preferred  a  caged  wild  cat,  or  Cali 
fornia  lion.  One  man,  whom  I  used  to  see  often,  had 
a  large  family  which  accompanied  him  wherever  he 
went.  His  family  consisted  of  a  bay  horse,  two 
dogs,  two  sheep,  and  two  goats.  Whenever  I  met 
one  of  that  circle  (and  they  were  often  seen  in  the 
streets)  I  saw  them  all  together,  and  they  seemed  to 
be  a  very  harmonious  family  indeed.  Now  these 
animals  seemed  to  be  very  mean  substitutes  for  fami 
lies  "at  home,"  but,  poor  fellows,  what  better  could 
they  do  ? 

But  again,  the  largest  class  of  wealth  seekers  in 
California  seemed  to  ignore  their  social  nature,  and 
substitute  for  it  California  excitement.  The  social 
element  of  their  souls  seemed  to  be  absorbed  by 
raging  thirst  for  gain,  an  excitement  that  burned 
with  quenchless  glow.  The  stimulants  to  excitement 
may  be  classed  as  ordinary  and  extraordinary. 
Among  the  ordinary  were  the  daily  excitements  of 
business.  Enormous  prices  and  wages;  "happy 
hits  and  large  strikes ;"  "  big  lumps  and  rich  dig- 


SOCIAL    LIFE.  175 

gings  found  ;"  fortunes  made  and  lost ;  these  consti 
tuted  the  themes  of  every- day  talk,  attended  by  a  vast 
amount  of  bluster  and  patient  toil. 

The  day's  work  and  supper  over,  and  what  next  ? 
"Sit  down  in  that  dirty  ranch  and  think  about  home? 
Never !  I'd  take  the  blues  in  an  hour,  and  be  worth 
less  for  a  week.     Must  have  some  entertainment." 
"  Where  ?      At  some  friend's  social  fireside."     "  No 
such  thing  to  be  found  within  five  thousand  miles. 
Too  far  for  this  evening.     Come,  boys,  let's  take  a 
w^alk  down  town."     They  soon  come  to  a  drinking 
saloon  splendidly  ornamented   and  illuminated,  and 
behind  the  bar  a  beautiful-looking   woman.      They 
stop  and  glance  at  her  a  moment,  and  think  of  sisters 
and  fair  loves  at  home.     "  She's  a  confounded  pretty 
girl,  ain't  she,  Bill?"     "She  is,  indeed;  let's  take  a 
drink,  and  we'll  get  a  good  look  at  her."     So  they 
refresh  their  spirits  at  the  bar.     They  next  come  to 
a  gambling  saloon,  fitted  up  like  a  palace.     From  a 
stage  in  the  rear  end  of  the  magnificent  saloon,  a 
band  of  the  sweetest  music  sends  forth  its  melody  on 
the  gentle  stillness  of  summer's  evening.     In  a  front 
corner  is  a  bar,  where  the  needful  is  displayed  in  all 
its  deceptive  and  deadly  varieties.     From  front  to 
rear  the  tables  are  laden  with  gold,  and  crowding 
hundreds  of  every  nation  fill  the  aisles,  both  as  spec 
tators    and    participators.      "  One    evening    sixteen 
thousand  dollars'  worth  of  gold  dust  was  laid  upon  a 


176  CALIFORNIA    LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

faro  table  as  a  bet.  This  was  lost  by  the  keeper  of 
the  table,  who  counted  out  the  money  to  the  winner 
without  a  murmur,  and  continued  his  business  with  a 
cheerful  countenance,  and  apparently  with  as  good 
spirits  as  though  he  had  incurred  no  more  than  an 
ordinary  loss.  As  high  as  twenty  thousand  dollars, 
it  is  said,  have  been  risked  upon  the  turn  of  a  card. 
Five  thousand,  three  thousand,  and  one  thousand 
were  repeatedly  ventured.  The  ordinary  stakes, 
however,  were  by  no  means  so  high  as  these  sums, 
from  fifty  cents  to  five  dollars  being  the  usual 
amount ;  and  thus  the  common  day  laborer  could  lay 
his  moderate  stake  as  stylishly  as  a  lord." — Annals  of 
San  Francisco,  p.  249. 

There,  too,  were  beautiful  women,  dressed  in  silk 
and  satin,  lending  enchantment  to  the  scene,  and 
enticing  the  unwary  to  the  game.  A  little  further 
on  was  "  the  house  of  the  strange  woman,"  magnifi 
cent  without,  beautiful  within,  furnished  with  Brus 
sels,  velvet,  silk,  and  damask.  Heavy  furniture  of 
rosewood,  and  walls  hung  with  beautiful  paintings; 
and  music  from  pianoforte,  melodeon,  and  harp ;  no 
house  more  prominent  or  beautiful  for  situation  in 
the  city.  The  mistress,  beautified  by  all  the  magic 
touches  of  art,  rode  fast  horses,  promenaded  the 
streets,  enticed  many  by  "her  much  fair  speech,"  who 
went  "  after  her  straightway,  as  an  ox  goeth  to  the 
slaughter,  or  as  a  fool  to  the  correction  of  the  stocks." 


SOCIAL  LIFE. 

The  most  of  the  virtuous  women  in  California  in 
early  days  had  to  look  after  their  children  and 
attend  to  housework,  not  generally  being  able  to 
pay  one  hundred  dollars  per  month  for  a  servant  to 
help  them,  and  hence  could  not  contribute  much  to 
the  social  life  of  the  country.  Thus  virtue  plodded 
through  the  streets,  bearing  burdens,  while  pros 
titutes,  lauded  and  caressed,  became  the  leading 
conservators  of  social  life,  fanning  its  waning  fires 
into  ephemeral  brightness  by  a  magnificent  display 
of  their  presence  and  deceitful  smiles. 

To  show  how  the  devil  of  licentiousness  had  en- 
coiled  himself  under  the  foundations  of  society,  and 
held  in  his  deadly  fangs  its  very  vitals,  we  quote 
the  following  life-scene  from  the  "Annals  of  San 
Francisco :" 

"  See  yonder  house.  Its  curtains  are  of  the  purest 
white  lace,  embroidered,  and  crimson  damask.  All 
the  fixtures  are  in  keeping,  most  expensive,  most 
voluptuous,  most  gorgeous ;  the  favorite  ones  with 
the  same  class  of  humanity,  whose  dress  and  decora 
tions  have  been  made  so  significant  ever  since  the 
name  of  their  city  and  trade,  c  Babylon.'  It  is  soiree 
night.  The  'lady'  of  the  establishment  has  sent 
most  polite  invitations,  got  up  on  the  finest  and 
most  beautifully  embossed  note-paper,  to  all  the 
principal  gentlemen  of  the  city,  including  collector 
of  the  port,  mayor,  aldermen,  judges  of  the  county, 


178  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

and  members  of  the  Legislature.  A  splendid  band 
of  music  is  in  attendance.  Away  over  the  Turkey 
or  Brussels  carpet  whirls  the  politician  with  some 
sparkling  beauty,  as  fair  as  frail ;  and  the  judge 
joins  in  and  enjoys  the  dance  in  company  with  the 
beautiful  but  lost  beings  whom  to-morrow  he  may 
send  to  the  house  of  correction.  Everything  is  con 
ducted  with  the  utmost  propriety.  Not  an  unbe 
coming  word  is  heard,  not  an  objectionable  actior 
seen.  The  girls  are  on  their  good  behavior,  and  are 
proud  once  more  to  move,  and  act,  and  appear  as 
ladies.  Did  you  not  know,  you  would  not  suspect 
that  you  were  in  one  of  those  dreadful  places  so 
vividly  described  by  Solomon ;  and  were  it  not  for 
the  great  proportion  of  beauty  present,  you  might 
suppose  yourself  in  a  saloon  of  upper-tendom. 

"But  the  dance  is  over;  now  for  the  supper-table. 
Everything  within  the  bounds  of  the  market  and 
the  skill  of  the  cook  and  confectioner  is  before  you. 
Opposite,  and  by  your  side,  that  which  nor  cook  nor 
confectioner's  skill  have  made  what  they  are,  cheeks 
where  the  ravages  of  dissipation  have  been  skillfully 
hidden,  and  eyes  with  pristine  brilliancy  undimmed, 
or  even  heightened  by  the  spirit  of  the  recent  cham 
pagne.  And  here  the  illusion  fades.  The  cham 
pagne  alone  is  paid  for.  The  soiree  has  cost  the 
mistress  one  thousand  dollars;  and  at  the  supper, 
and  during  the  night,  she  sells  twelve  dozen  of 


SOCIAL   LIFE. 


179 


champaigne  at  ten  dollars  a  bottle !  This  is  a 
literal  fact,  not  an  idea,  nor  a  draft  upon  the 
imagination,  decorated  with  the  colors  of  fancy." — 
Pp.  668,  669. 

This  horrible  picture,  said  to  be  truthfully  drawn 
from  real  life,  and  from  what  I  have  seen  outside,  I 
have  no  reason  to  doubt  it,  tells  a  sad  tale ;  but, 
thank  the  Lord,  "  Babylon  has  fallen !  has  fallen !" 
and  now  above  its  scattered  ruins  the  walls  of  the 
temple  of  virtue  are  towering,  clearly  defined  in  the 
sunshine  of  a  better  day,  and  already  exhibiting 
permanence,  beauty,  and  grandeur,  and  still  going 
up  and  hastening  on  to  a  glorious  consummation. 
Men  and  women  of  sterling  integrity  and  purity 
steadily  withstood  the  desolating  tide  of  licentious 
ness  that  swept  over  the  land,  often  at  the  hazard  of 
life,  some  falling  in  the  struggle  by  the  assassin's 
hand,  until  gambling  was  successfully  put  down  by 
law  throughout  the  state,  and  sunk  under  the  odium 
of  outraged  public  feeling,  a  thousand  per  cent,  below 
par,  and  the  whole  fraternity  of  the  "  strange  woman" 
has  shared  about  the  same  fate. 

Sunday  amusements  held  a  very  prominent  place 
among  the  entertainments  of  early  days  in  California ; 
consisting  in  horse-racing,  bull-baiting,  an  occasional 
fight  between  a  mad  bull  and  a  man,  and  more  fre 
quently  between  a  bull  and  a  grizzly  bear.  The 
race-tracks,  and  first  grand  Sunday  resort  of  San 


180  CALIFOENIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

Franciscans,  was  at  "Mission  Doloros,"  about  two 
miles  from  the  city.  There  are  now  two  plank 
roads  leading  to  the  mission,  and  omnibuses  run 
ning  every  half  hour.  Several  thousands  of  persons 
on  a  single  Sunday  sometimes  visited  it,  to  witness 
one  or  more  of  the  scenes  described.  "Russ5  Gar 
den,"  about  half  way  out  on  the  mission  road,  which 
contains  a  large  circular  hall  for  the  accommodation 
of  pleasure-seeking  parties,  is  a  great  rendezvous  for 
Sabbath  breakers,  especially  among  the  Germans. 
Bands  of  music,  fiddling,  dancing,  singing,  feasting, 
and  drinking  constitute  the  principal  entertainment 
there.  The  city  of  Oakland,  across  the  bay,  eight 
miles  distant  from  San  Francisco,  became  the  rival 
of  "Mission  Dolores"  in  Sunday  amusements.  One 
day,  in  crossing  the  bay  in  the  Oakland  "  steamer 
Clinton,"  I  saw  a  man  posting  on  the  side  of  the 
wheelhouse  the  following  bill,  in  large  letters: 
"  Great  bear  fight,  in  front  of  the  American  Hotel, 
in  Oakland,  between  the  red  bear  Sampson,  and  a 
large  Grizzly,  on  Sunday,  January  29,  1854.  The 
steamer  Clinton  will  make  two  extra  trips  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  public." 

"  On  Sunday  ?"  inquired  one  of  the  uninitiated, 
who  had  recently  arrived. 

"O  yes,"  replied  an  intelligent-looking  English 
man  ;  "  Sunday's  a  great  day ;  a  great  day  here  in 
California." 


CITY     OF     OAKLAND. 


SOCIAL   LIFE.  183 

"  Nothing  could  be  done,"  said  the  poster,  "  on  a 
week-day." 

"  O  no,"  answered  the  Englishman,  "  if  I  were  to 
have  anything  of  the  sort,  1  would  certainly  have  it 
on  Sunday ;  may  just  as  well  go  to  hell  on  Sunday 
as  on  any  other  day ;  all  going  there  anyhow.  I 
look  at  the  thing  philosophically." 

Another  then  added :  "  We  are  not  burdened  with 
religion  here  in  California." 

"  The  fact  is,"  said  the  poster,  "  religion  won't  pay 
here  in  California." 

I  consider  this,  in  regard  to  the  whole  Sabbath- 
breaking  fraternity,  as  a  fair  specimen  of  California 
ethics. 

In  connection  with  bull-baiting,  bear-fighting,  etc., 
we  had,  by  way  of  variety,  a  duel  occasionally,  in 
which  an  editor  or  politician  was  sometimes  killed, 
as  were  the  bulls  and  bears,  in  the  presence  of  the 
excited  multitude. 


184  CALIFOKNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 


CHAPTER  YII. 

SOCIAL   LIFE CONTINUED. 

IN  the  early  history  of  California  cities  and  towns 
no  Sabbath  was  recognized  in  merchandise  and  trade  ; 
and  those  who  observed  it  at  all  observed  it  only  as  a 
holiday,  the  day  for  a  "  grand  bust  up,"  or  for  gun 
ning,  or  a  dancing  party,  or  an  excursion  party,  or 
some  of  the  varieties  before  mentioned. 

I  once  called  on  a  Roman  Catholic  in  San  Fran 
cisco  for  a  subscription  for  a  Methodist  church :  "  O 
yes,"  said  he,  "  I'll  give  you  a  hundred  dollars ;  I'm 
a  Catholic,  but  I  see  the  great  advantages  of  churches 
in  a  community  like  this.  I  remember  when  noth 
ing  could  be  seen  in  this  city  on  Sunday  but  the 
bustle  of  business,  and  nothing  heard  but  the  rattle 
of  horse-hoofs,  and  the  shouts  of  those  engaged  in  or 
witnessing  the  race.  But  since  churches  have  been 
erected,  and  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  introduced, 
Sabbath  is  fast  becoming  a  quiet  day ;  respectable 
business  houses  are  closed,  and  horse-racing  has  been 
driven  beyond  the  limits  of  the  city.  I  go  in  for  the 
multiplication  of  churches  as  the  best  means  of  im 
proving  society." 


SOCIAL    LIFE.  185 

The  embarcation  of  Sunday  excursion  parties,  ac 
companied  by  a  band  of  music,  drew  thousands  of 
persons  to  the  wharf  to  hear  the  music,  and  witness 
their  departure.  I  frequently  took  advantage  of  such 
occasions,  by  taking  my  stand  in  sight  and  hearing, 
and  when  the  boat's  hawsers  were  cast  off,  would  strike 
up  a  loud  song,  and  draw  the  returning  crowd,  and 
sound  in  their  ears  the  tocsin  of  the  coming  judg 
ments  of  a  sin-avenging  God,  and  present  them  with 
an  offer  of  mercy  through  the  Crucified.  The  excite 
ment  of  such  occasions  afforded  a  fine  opportunity 
of  driving  some  strong  appeals  to  the  sinner's  con 
science. 

On  one  such  occasion,  just  as  I  had  sung  up  the 
crowd,  a  dog-fight  occurred  in  the  street  fronting  the 
next  block,  and  a  large  part  of  my  audience  ran  to 
see  the  fight,  so  that  the  programme  of  that  morn 
ing's  excitants  would  stand  thus :  first,  the  excursion 
and  music  ;  second,  the  songs  of  the  preacher ;  third, 
the  dog-fight;  and  fourth,  another  song  from  the 
preacher,  which  drew  the  audience  back  as  soon  as 
the  dogs  had  finished  their  part.  I  then  said  to 
them,  by  way  of  introduction:  "Gentlemen,  if  1 
could  come  to  you  this  morning  and  say,  Ho  !  all  ye 
who  want  to  go  to  heaven,  now's  your  time.  A  splen 
did  line  of  celestial  steamers  will  run,  for  a  few  days, 
from  San  Francisco  to  the  port  of  Glory,  a  country 
every  way  superior  to  California,  having  in  it  the 


186  CALIFOE1STA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

richest  gold  diggings  ever  discovered,  the  very  streets 
of  the  great  city  being  paved  with  gold.  In  that 
country  are  oceans  of  lager  beer  and  drinks  of  every 
kind,  and  all  free ;  pretty  women  also,  and  pleasures 
in  endless  variety,  exceeding  the  dreams  of  Moham 
med  as  far  as  the  brightness  of  the  meridian  sun 
exceeds  the  dim  twinkle  of  the  glow-worm!  Pro 
gramme  for  the  voyage:  Embarcation  a^nid  the 
melody  of  the  best  band  in  the  world.  That  music 
which  so  attracted  you  this  morning  not  to  be  men 
tioned  in  the  comparison.  Appropriate  entertain 
ments  for  each  week  day,  to  be  announced  daily. 
Each  Sunday  to  be  celebrated,  first,  with  a  grand 
feast,  closing  with  a  rich  profusion  of  lager  beer, 
champagne,  good  old  port,  whisky  punch,  brandy- 
smashes,  Cogniac,  hot  Tom  and  Jerry,  etc.  Second, 
a  game  at  cards.  Third,  a  grand  ball  in  the  upper 
saloon.  Fourth,  a  dog-fight  on  the  upper  deck. 
Fifth,  a  theatrical  performance  in  the  evening, 
closing  with  a  magnificent  farce.  O  my  friends  and 
fellow-citizens,  if  I  could  truthfully  publish  such  an 
advertisement  as  that,  I  think  about  two  sermons  on 
the  Plaza  would  suffice  to  convert  the  whole  city, 
except  some  of  those  croakers  who  are  always  talk 
ing  about  death,  hell,  and  judgment,  and  we  would 
all  quit  this  lower  world  of  trouble,  and  take  the 
steamer  for  heaven  on  her  next  trip." 

By  that  time  I  could  bid  defiance  to  all  the  dogs 


SOCIAL    LIFE. 


187 


in  town.     I  had  the  crowd,  and,  perhaps,  never  gave 
a  set  of  men  a  more  faithful  warning  in  my  life.     It 
turned  out  to  be  a  very  solemn  and  tearful  meeting. 
The  first  steamboat  built  in  California  was  called 
the   "  Sagamore."     On  the    29th  of  October,  1850, 
the    admission   of  California    as    a    state   into    the 
Union,    was    celebrated    by    grand   processions    of 
various   public  bodies,   and   the    people   generally, 
Americans,    French,    Italians,    Chinese,    etc.,    with 
the    best    of    music    and     the  thunder     of    heavy 
ordnance,  and  the  fizzing  and  popping  of  fire-crack 
ers,  barrels  of  which   were   burned  by   the  China 
men.     When  all  assembled  on  the  Plaza,  an  oration 
was  delivered  by  Judge  Bennett,  of  the  Supreme 
Court.     One  of  the  incidents  of  that  day  was  the 
explosion  of  this  first  California  built  steamer,  the 
Sagamore.     Just  after  leaving  the  wharf  for  Stock 
ton,  with  a  load  of  merry  souls  who  had  been  par 
ticipating  in  the  common  joy,  her  boiler  burst  and 
broke  to  fragments  all  her  top  works  from  stem  to 
stern.     It  was  believed  that  between  thirty  and  forty 
persons  were  killed.     I  witnessed  that  tragedy,  and 
tried  to  minister  to  the  dying.     Its  details  were  hor 
rible.     I  saw  a  man  named  Johnson,  from  Illinois, 
where  he  had  a  wife  and  two  children,  brought  ashore 
with  one  leg  torn  off  at  the  calf.     He   thought  he 
would  recover,  but  died  in  fifteen  minutes.     He  had 
a  brother-in-law  who  died  as  he  was  being  carried 


188  CALIFORNIA    LIFE   ILLUST11ATED. 

into  the  house  where  the  other  was  dying.  Another 
died  as  they  brought  him  ashore.  I  saw  a  weeping 
Spanish  woman,  holding  on  her  lap  a  man  whose 
head  had  been  split  open,  and  his  brains  lay  scat 
tered  on  the  wharf.  Many  more,  badly  wounded 
and  burned,  were  taken  to  the  hospital.  (See  Seven 
Years'  Street-Preaching,  etc.,  p.  90.) 

One  poor  fellow,  with  a  broken  leg,  implored  them 
not  to  take  him  to  a  hospital,  saying,  "  For  mercy 
sake,  don't  take  me  to  a  hospital,  or  I  shall  die.  Take 
me  to  a  good  hotel,  and  employ  a  good  physician  to 
attend  on  me.  I've  got  plenty  of  money,  and  will 
pay  for  everything  that  is  done  for  me." 

Philip  Groves,  the  shouting  Methodist,  was  aboard 
in  the  midst  of  the  explosion,  and  as  he  crawled  up 
from  under  the  broken  timbers,  he  shouted,  "  Halle 
luiah  !  I  am  ready !  Glory  be  to  God,  I'm  all  right !" 
On  examination  he  found  that  he  was  not  hurt ;  but 
his  hat,  containing  some  valuable  papers,  was  gone. 
By  and  by  a  man  came  to  him  in  the  crowd,  and  said : 

"  Is  this  your  hat,  sir  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

His  papers  were  all  safe,  as  he  left  them.  He 
never  knew  how  his  hat  got  ashore,  unless  it  was 
blown  on  the  wharf  by  the  explosion. 

A  Swedish  sailor  said  to  me  the  next  day :  "  When 
the  Sagamore  was  launched  and  fitted  up,  the  cap 
tain  invited  everybody  who  wanted  to  break  the 


SOCIAL   LIFE.  189 

Sabbath  to  come  and  take  a  Sunday  trip  in  her. 
Her  first  run  was  for  a  Sunday  excursion ;  God  was 
displeased,  and  now  we  see  what  it  has  come  to." 
The  wreck  was  re-fitted,  and  called  the  "  The  Boston." 
For  a  time  she  was  used  principally  as  a  Sunday 
excursion  boat.  On  one  occasion  they  moored  her 
near  our  Bethel  Ship.  Mrs.  Taylor  happened  to  be 
on  deck  when  they  were  "making  fast"  to  our 
ship,  and  said  to  the  captain,  "  I  wish  you  would  not 
tie  that  Sabbath-breaker  to  our  Bethel.  I  am  afraid 
of  her.  I  am  daily  expecting  to  see  her  explode,  or 
take  fire  and  burn  up."  Not  long  after  she  took  fire 
across  the  bay,  near  Oakland,  where  her  keel  still 
lies  embedded  in  the  mud.  A  great  many  mishaps 
attended  those  Sunday  excursions. 

"Spanish  fandangoes"  (a  rude  native  dance)  were 
very  common  in  the  early  days  of  California.  Fancy 
dress  balls  and  masquerades  soon  came  in  vogue,  and 
then  followed  the  establishment  of  theaters,  and  an 
ever-changing  variety  of  entertainments  for  the  ex 
cited  masses.  In  the  mines,  to  this  day,  there  are 
itinerant  theatricals,  minstrels,  circuses,  performers  in 
legerdemain,  dog  and  monkey  shows,  etc.,  constantly 
traveling  to  and  fro,  entertaining  the  miners  at  a  dol 
lar  per  head.  I  had  a  good  deal  of  competition  with 
these  during  a  preaching  tour  I  made  through  the 
mines  in  1855.  At  Springfield  they  had  too  much 
music  for  me,  and  left  me  but  a  small  audience  to 


190  CALIFORNIA  LIFE  ILLUSTRATED. 

preacli  to.  At  Shaw's  Flat  they  had  to  wait  till  I  had 
done  preaching  before  they  could  get  the  crowd ;  sa 
also  at  Smith's  Flat  they  waited  quietly  till  I  dismissed 
my  audience,  and  then  tuned  up.  I  heard  many  say, 
after  preaching  at  the  last-named  place,  "  I'll  save  my 
dollar  to-night  sure." 

I  am  no  apologist  for  the  moral  degeneracy  and 
ruin  of  thousands  in  California ;  but,  in  the  light  of 
the  foregoing  facts,  it  is  easy  to  see  how  insidiously 
the  foe  insnared  them.  It  is  not  at  all  remarkable 
that  many  fell.  Among  the  excitements  extraor 
dinary  may  be  named  grand  political  gatherings  and 
celebrations,  a  sweeping  fire  occasionally,  vigilance 
committees,  and  the  mass-meetings  called  together 
under  the  administration  of  Judge  Lynch. 

Some  idea  of  such  exciting  occasions  may  be 
gathered  from  the  accompanying  cut,  which  repre 
sents  a  scene  enacted  at  the  City  Hall  in  San  Fran 
cisco,  February  22,  1851.  On  the  nineteenth  of  that 
month  the  store  of  C.  J.  Jansen  &  Co.  was  entered 
about  eight  o'clock  P.  M.  by  two  men,  who  said  they 
wanted  to  buy  blankets.  As  Mr.  Jansen,  who  was 
in  the  store  alone,  turned  to  get  the  articles,  he  was 
knocked  senseless  to  the  floor  with  a  "  slung  shot." 
The  premises  were  robbed  of  two  thousand  dollars, 
and  the  rogues  fled.  Two  men,  Windred  and  Bur- 
due,  were  next  day  arrested  on  suspicion  and  lodged 
in  jail  under  the  City  Hall.  By  the  twenty-first 


CITY    HALL    ON    F  £  B  B  U  A  R  V    22,     t«.M. 


SOCIAL   LIFE.  193 

Jansen  had  so  far  recovered  as  to  be  able  to  give  tes 
timony,  and,  with  but  a  shade  of  doubt,  identified  the 
two  men  under  arrest  as  the  robbers  of  the  store. 
The  frequent  occurrence  of  such  outrages,  and  the 
general  belief  that  there  was  a  large  organized  band 
of  robbers  and  murderers  confederated  throughout  the 
state,  led  to  a  popular  outburst  of  vengeance,  and  a 
demand  for  the  prisoners  bj  a  crowd  of  eight 
thousand  persons.  At  the  request  of  Windred's  wife, 
I  with  great  difficulty  pressed  my  way  through  the 
excited  mass,  and  visited  the  prisoners.  Above  the 
din  and  commotion  of  the  multitude  the  shouts 
resounded  from  every  direction,  "Have  them  out! 
hang  them !"  "  The  courts  are  sure  to  let  them  go  !" 
uHang  them  now!"  I  spent  some  time  with  the 
prisoners,  as  they  were  expecting  every  minute  to  be 
dragged  out  and  hung. 

After  a  few  hours,  on  certain  assurances  from  lead 
ing  city  authorities  that  the  prisoners  should  be 
promptly  tried  and  justly  dealt  with,  the  crowd  dis 
persed. 

Windred  afterward  broke  jail  and  ran  away.  Bur- 
due  was  convicted,  and  sent  to  Marysville  to  be  tried 
for  the  murder  of  Mr.  Moore,  sheriff  of  Auburn,  and 
was  there  convicted  and  sentenced  to  be  hung ;  but 
pending  this  sentence  the  San  Francisco  Vigilance 
Committee  arrested  the  real  murderer  and  robber  for 
whom  Burdue,  from  exact  personal  appearance,  had 

12 


194  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

been  mistaken ;  so  Burdue  was  afterward  released, 
and  the  guilty  rnan  hung. 

I  was  walking  down  Pacific  wharf  one  Saturday 
afternoon,  in  company  with  Rev.  S.  D.  Simonds,  when 
we  saw  aboard  the  clipper  ship  "  Challenge,"  which 
had  just  come  into  port,  a  vast  crowd  of  men.  We 
supposed  that  they  had  come  to  see  the  splendid  ship, 
and  I  remarked  :  "  Brother  Simonds,  the  deck  of  that 
ship  will  be  a  good  place  for  me  to  preach  to-morrow. 
If  hundreds  come  to  see  her  in  the  week,  there  will 
be  thousands  on  Sunday,  and  I'll  have  an  opportunity 
of  preaching  the  Gospel  to  them." 

"  Good,"  said  he ;  "  we'll  go  aboard  and  get  per 
mission  of  the  captain." 

So  we  went  aboard,  and  hunted  from  cabin  to  fore 
castle  and  back  again,  but  could  find  no  captain. 
We  soon  learned  that  all  the  rest  were  hunting  the 
captain  too. 

"  Why,  what's  the  matter  here  ?"  said  I. 

"  Matter  enough,"  replied  one  ;  "  Captain  W.  has 
killed  several  of  his  crew  ;  and  if  you'll  look  into  the 
forecastle  you'll  see  such  a  battered  up  set  of  men 
as  yon  never  saw  before." 

"  We're  after  the  captain,"  responded  one  and  an 
other.  "  We'll  hang  him  to  the  yard-arm  !" 

The  object  of  our  search  being  so  different  from 
that  of  the  crowd,  we  suddenly  left. 

It  was  said  that  the  captain  had  an  octagon  shaped 


SOCIAL    LIFE.  195 

stick,  about  four  feet  long,  which  he  called  his  *'  per 
suader,"  and  his  persuasions  were  so  earnest  that 
several  men  died  under  the  force  of  them.  He,  how 
ever,  evaded  the  search  of  the  exasperated  crowd, 
concealed  himself  till  the  people  were  all  drawn  off 
by  some  other  extraordinary  excitement,  and  then 
came  forward,  stood  his  trial  in  court,  and  was  ac 
quitted. 

Another  class  of  extraordinary  excitements  grew 
out  of  the  wonderful  gold  discoveries  that  were  con 
tinually  being  made,  such  as  "  Gold  Lake,"  "  Gold 
Bluffs,"  "  Australian  Gold  Fields,"  "Kern  Kiver 
Diggings,"  etc.  The  papers  were  filled  with  the 
wonderful  tidings,  ships  were  chartered,  caravans 
formed,  men  by  thousands  would  leave  their  business 
of  whatever  kind,  and  away  to  make  their  pile  at 
once,  without  any  further  delay. 

The  following  account  of  the  "  Gold  Bluff"  excite 
ment  we  extract  from  the  "  Annals  of  San  Fran 
cisco  :" 

"January,  1851. — San  Francisco  has  been  startled 
'  from  its  propriety '  by  news  from  the  celebrated 
'  Gold  Bluffs,'  and  during  the  greater  part  of  this 
month  has  dreamed  unutterable  things  of  black  sand, 
and  gray  sand,  and  cargoes  of  gold.  A  band  of 
pioneers  and  prospecters  had  recently  proceeded  in 
the  '  Chesapeake '  steamer  northward  to  the  Klamath 
River,  near  which,  on  the  sea-shore,  they  fancied  they 


196  CALIFORNIA    LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

had  found  the  richest  and  most  extraordinary  gold 
field  that  had  ever  been  known.  The  sands  of  the 
sea,  for  a  broad  space  several  miles  in  length,  beneath 
cliffs  some  hundreds  of  feet  high,  appeared  to  be 
literally  composed  in  one  half  at  least  of  the  pure 
metal.  Millions  of  diggers  for  ages  to  come  could 
not  exhaust  that  grand  deposit.  Already  a  few 
miners  had  collected  about  the  spot ;  but  these  were 
so  amazed  and  lost  in  the  midst  of  the  surrounding 
treasure  that  they  knew  not  what  to  do.  ~No  man 
could  carry  more  than  seventy-five  or  a  hundred 
pounds  weight  upon  his  back  for  any  great  distance ; 
and  with  that  quantity  of  pure  gold  it  was  ridiculous, 
so  it  was,  to  be  content  when  numberless  tons  lay 
about.  A  brilliant  reporter  for  the  Alta  California 
says  :  '  The  gold  is  mixed  with  black  sand,  in  propor 
tions  of  from  ten  cents  to  ten  dollars  the  pound.  At 
times  when  the  surf  is  high  the  gold  is  not  easily  dis 
covered  ;  but  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  after  a  suc 
cession  of  calms,  the  entire  beach  is  covered  with 
bright  and  yellow  gold.  Mr.  Collins,  the  secretary 
of  the  Pacific  Mining  Company,  measured  a  patch 
of  gold  and  sand,  and  estimates  it  will  yield  to  each 
member  of  the  company  the  snug  little  sum  of  $43,- 
000,000,  (say  forty-three  millions  of  dollars,)  and  the 
estimate  is  formed  upon  a  calculation  that  the  sand 
holds  out  to  be  one  tenth  as  rich  as  observation  war 
rants  them  in  supposing.' 


SOCIAL   LIFE.  197 

"  No  digging  even  was  required,  since  one  had 
only  to  stoop  a  little,  and  raise  as  much  as  he  wished 
of  the  stuff — half  gold,  half  sand — from  the  surface 
of  the  beach.  Back  the  adventurers  hastened  to  San 
Francisco,  where  they  had  long  been  impatiently 
expected,  and  the  glorious  news  ran  like  wild-fire 
among  the  people. 

"  General  John  Wilson  and  Mr.  John  A.  Collins, 
both  of  whom  had  been  among  the  number  of  discov 
erers,  frankly  testified  to  the  truth  of  these  wonderful 
statements.  The  beach,  they  said,  for  a  great  dis 
tance,  was  literally  strewed  with  pure  gold.  It  was 
found  in  the  greatest  quantity  in  a  certain  kind  of 
1  black  sand,'  although  the  'gray  sand,'  which  was 
rather  more  abundant,  contained  likewise  a  large 
proportion  of  the  same  black-colored  stuff,  with  its 
special  share  of  gold.  '  Mr.  Collins,'  says  the  poetic 
reporter,  *  saw  a  man  who  had  accumulated  fifty 
thousand  pounds,  or  fifty  tons,  he  did  not  recollect 
which,  of  the  richest  kind  of  black  sand. 

"Such  intelligence  astounded  the  community.  In 
a  few  days  eight  vessels  were  announced  as  about  to 
sail  for  this  extraordinary  region.  The  magic  phrase 
4  Gold  Bluffs !  Gold  Bluffs  !'  everywhere  startled  the 
most  apathetic,  and  aroused  him  as  with  a  galvanic 
shock.  '  Gold  Bluffs  !'  filled  the  columns  of  news 
papers  among  the  shipping  advertisements ;  they 
covered,  on  huge  posters,  the  blank  walls  of  houses 


198  CALIIFOENIA    LIFE   ILLUSTEATED. 

at  the  corners  of  the  streets;  they  were  in  every 
man's  mouth.  A  company  was  formed,  called  the 
4  Pacific  Mining  Company,'  the  shares  of  which  in 
stantly  rose  to  a  handsome  premium.  There  seemed 
no  doubt  of  their  incalculable  gains,  since  they 
showed  numerous  samples  of  the  wondrous  'black 
sand,'  where  the  golden  particles  lay  and  shone 
mildly  as  stars  in  the  milky  way  innumerable.  The 
company  had  already,  by  the  greatest  good  fortune, 
secured  a  considerable  number  of  miners'  claims, 
embracing  indeed  the  entire  beach  beneath  the 
1  bluffs,'  so  that  all  was  clear  for  immediate  operations. 
"The  first  damper  to  the  hot  blast  that  raged 
through  the  town,  and  from  whence  it  spread  and 
fired  up  distant  countries,  until  the  arrival  of  the 
next  mail,  was  intelligence  from  the  earliest  miners, 
that  they  found  it  very  difficult  to  separate  first  the 
black  sand  from  the  gray,  and  next  the  gold  itself 
from  the  black  sand,  the  particles  of  the  precious 
metal  being  so  remarkably  fine.  A  little  later  it  was 
found  that  the  innumerable  "  patches  "  of  black  sand 
began  most  unaccountably  to  disappear.  Heavy  seas 
came  and  swept  them  right  away;  and  though  it 
was  hoped  that  heavier  seas  might  soon  bring  them 
back  again,  the  people  got  tired  waiting  for  that 
event,  "and  hastily  fled  from  the  place,  ashamed  of 
their  hopes  and  credulity.  Much  serious  loss  was 
suffered  by  the  '  Gold  Bluffs '  piece  of  business. 


SOCIAL   LITE.  199 

"  The  unfortunate  '  Pacific  Mining  Company '  had 
bought  the  Chesapeake,  at  a  cost,  for  boat  and  repairs, 
of  twenty  thousand  dollars'  had  run  her  up  the  coast 
several  trips  at  the  loss  of  as  many  thousand  more ; 
and  afterward,  when  she  had  been  injured  in  a  storm, 
were  glad  to  sell  her  for  about  two  thousand  dollars. 

"  There  was  considerable  gold  at  the  Bluffs,  but  it 
turned  out  in  the  end  to  cost  more  trouble  to  gather 
than  it  was  worth.  Hence  the  place  was  abandoned, 
except  by  a  few  still  hopeful  individuals,  after  a  few 
months'  trial."— Pp.  311-314. 

Dr.  II. ,  a  friend  of  mine,  a  very  tall  man  from 
Missouri,  was  carried  off  by  the  "Gold  Bluff"  fever. 
When  nearly  ready  to  sail,  he  said  to  me:  "Mr. 
Taylor,  they  tell  me  that  I  can  easily  make  there 
eleven  hundred  dollars  per  day ;  but  you  know  I'm 
not  easily  moved  by  such  reports,  [moving  then 
under  a  high  pressure  of  excited  hope  at  the  rate  of 
six  knots  per  hour.]  I  shall  be  satisfied,"  continued 
he,  "  if  I  make  three  hundred  dollars  per  day,  and  that 
I  know  I  can  do  without  any  difficulty." 

A  few  months  afterward  the  doctor  returned  to 
San  Francisco  almost  in  rags,  out  of  money,  and  as 
lean  as  a  pelican  in  the  wilderness.  He  told  me  a 
sad  story  of  his  adventures,  reverses,  and  sufferings. 
He  had  lost  his  all,  had  been  shipwrecked,  put  on 
short  allowance  of  water  and  food,  and  had  nearly 
starved  to  death. 


200  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

But  though  social  life,  as  I  have  shown  by  the 
facts  and  illustrations  under  this  head,  was  in  many 
quenched  by  the  tide  of  their  reverses  and  sorrows ; 
in  many  more  ignored  and  superseded  by  the  grasp 
ing  spirit  of  the  times  and  the  excitements  of  the 
country;  and  though  by  others  prostituted  and 
abused,  there  always  have  been  occasions  when  the 
springs  of  social  life  in  California  suddenly  broke 
out  afresh,  like  mountain  rills  after  a  thunder  shower, 
and  flowed,  for  a  short  season,  with  astonishing 
impetuosity. 

The  monthly,  and  afterward  semi-monthly,  arrival 
of  the  mails,  with  letters  from  home,  generally  suf 
ficed  to  open  the  fountains  of  social  sympathy  in  the 
souls  of  the  multiplied  thousands  of  isolated  wan 
derers  scattered  over  the  land.  I  took  with  me 
from  Baltimore  a  large  package  of  letters,  round 
Cape  Horn,  from  friends  to  their  friends  in  Cali 
fornia. 

At  that  time  but  few  persons  seemed  to  realize 
that  there  was  anything  of  California  outside  of  San 
Francisco,  and  my  going  there  was  thought  to  afford 
the  surest  means  of  a  safe  conveyance  of  letters;  for 
I  would,  of  course,  meet  all  their  friends  on  my 
arrival,  see  them  face  to  face,  and  deliver  the  letters 
in  person.  The  said  friends,  however,  were  scat 
tered  possibly  back  through  the  mountains,  and 
along  the  coast,  from  San  Diego  to  Puget  Sound,  a 


THE    POST-OFFICE,    COKNER    OF    PIKE    AND    CLAY    STREETS. 


SOCIAL    LIFE.  203 

distance  of  more  than  a  thousand  miles,  many  of 
whom  I  never  met  in  seven  years. 

I  met  with  Joseph  Stocker,  a  good  Baltimore 
friend  of  mine,  a  few  months  after  my  arrival,  and 
handed  him  a  letter  from  his  wife.  He  had  not 
seen  her  for  nearly  a  year,  and  in  all  that  time  had 
not  received  a  letter  from  home.  He  broke  the 
long-expected  letter,  and  its  effect  upon  him  was 
wonderful.  It  did  not  jerk  him  out  of  his  boots, 
exactly,  but  it  did  more ;  contrary  to  all  his  plans, 
and  at  a  cost  of  immense  sacrifice  of  business  inter 
ests,  it  carried  him,  boots  and  all,  out  of  the  terri 
tory  by  the  next  steamer.  I  doubt  if  he  indulged  in 
the  luxury  of  one  good  night's  rest  until  he  saw  his 
wife  and  children.  He  soon  after  returned  to  Cali 
fornia  accompanied  by  his  good  wife  and  babes. 

The  slow  single  file  marches  in  front  of  the  Post- 
office,  to  the  windows  of  delivery,  by  long  lines  of 
anxious  faces,  formed  several  hours  before  the  open 
ing  of  the  office,  famished  evidence  of  the  social 
longings  of  their  hearts.  It  was  interesting  to  mark 
the  countenances  and  conduct  of  men  as  they  turned 
away  from  the  delivery  windows  at  the  horrible 
announcement,  "Nothing  for  you,  sir,"  or  as  they 
grasped  and  broke  open  the  letters  which  brought 
them  news  from  home.  (California  Post-office  scenes 
are  described  at  length  in  my  "  Seven  Years'  Street 
Preaching,"  etc.,  p.  282.) 


204  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

But  what  contributed  still  more  to  revive  and  pro 
mote  social  life  in  California  was  the  semi-monthly 
arrival  of  families.  For  a  couple  of  years  after  the 
gold  discovery  but  very  few  of  the  great  mass  of 
California  adventurers  had  any  thought  of  a  perma 
nent  settlement  in  that  country.  They  had  generally 
given  themselves  about  two  years  in  which  to  make 
their  "  pile,"  and  return  home.  They  therefore 
cared  nothing  about  California  except  for  her  gold, 
and  hence  felt  but  little  responsibility  in  regard  to 
their  conduct  or  character.  Indeed  very  many  had 
left  their  character  at  home,  if  they  had  any,  as  an 
old  Missouri  sinner  said  he  left  his  religion.  Said 
he :  "I  knew  I  couldn't  carry  my  religion  with  me 
through  California,  so  when  I  left  home  in  Missouri 
I  hung  my  religious  cloak  on  my  gate-post  until  I 
should  return." 

After  a  couple  of  years'  sojourn  in  California,  very 
many  began  seriously  to  contemplate  a  permanent 
settlement  in  that  country.  They  were  delighted  with 
the  climate,  and  became  deeply  interested  in  the 
development  of  the  immense  resources  of  the  country, 
agricultural,  mineral,  and  commercial,  and  in  the 
growing  greatness  of  their  young  giant  state.  Then 
such  expressions  as  these  became  very  common  :  "  If  I 
had  my  family  here  I  never  would  leave  California ; 
but  I  can't  consent  to  bring  my  family  to  such  a  place. 
Everything  is  inviting,  so  far  as  the  country,  physi- 


SOCIAL   LITE.  205 

cally,  is  concerned ;  but  the  social  and  moral  condi 
tion  of  the  people  is  so  horribly  bad,  I  can't  risk  the 
education  of  my  children  in  such  a  place."  Very 
many  found,  too,  at  the  end  of  their  two  years,  that 
they  had  done  nearly  everything  else  but  "  make 
their  pile,"  and  could  not  bear  the  mortification  of 
returning  without  it ;  but  having  a  fine  prospect 
ahead,  they  were  led  at  once  to  say :  "  O  if  I 
had  rny  family  here,  and  could  settle  down  and 
take  my  time  at  it,  I  would  make  my  fortune  and 
live  at  ease  in  this  most  delightful  climate  in  the 
world ;  but  O,  the  moral  and  social  condition  of  the 
country  is  horrible !"  These  and  similar  considera 
tions,  together  with  the  fact  that  some  families  had 
been  there  from  the  first,  and  got  along  pleasantly, 
wife  and  children  healthful  and  happy,  led  men  by 
the  hundred  to  the  determination  to  go  or  send  for 
their  families,  and  make  a  home  in  California. 

As  soon  as  they  made  up  their  minds  to  settle  per 
manently  in  the  country,  their  conduct  underwent  a 
great  change  for  the  better.  They  began  earnestly  to 
manifest  interest  in  the  establishment  of  schools  and 
churches,  the  regular  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  the 
better  observance  of  the  Sabbath,  and  whatever  they 
thought  would  contribute  to  improve  the  social  con 
dition  of  society.  Some,  who  could  leave  their 
business,  went  in  person  for  their  families ;  but  many 
more,  not  being  able  to  leave  without  too  great  a 


206  CALIFORNIA    LIFE   ILLUSTKATED. 

sacrifice  of  time  or  money,  sent  for  their  families. 
Single  men,  also,  from  similar  considerations,  came  to 
similar  conclusions  in  regard  to  permanent  settle 
ment.  Some,  Laving  matrimonial  engagements  at 
home,  began  to  arrange  for  their  consummation  with 
reference  to  a  home  in  California.  Others  determ 
ined  to  live  in  California  at  any  rate,  and  trust  to 
getting  a  wife  to  share  their  fortunes,  either  from 
home  or  by  good  fortune  from  among  the  arrivals  of 
fair  ones,  or  from  the  divorcement  or  death  of  some 
fellow  who  had  a  wife  in  California.  A  great  many 
young  men  have  modestly  but  seriously  requested  my 
observation  to  find  out,  and  my  mediation  to  try  and 
secure  far  them  each  a  good  wife.  I  once  received 
a  letter  from  a  stranger,  whom  I  had  never  seen, 
living  in  Bad  ego  Valley,  to  this  effect: 

"  DEAK  SIB, — You  will  please  pardon  the  liberty 
I  take  in  addressing  to  you  this  note,  and  especially 
for  introducing  the  subject  it  contains. 

"  I  am  a  young  man,  twenty-nine  years  old,  five 
feet  ten  inches  high,  possessing  a  sound  constitution 
and  good  health ;  I  have  a  good  farm,  well  stocked, 
well  improved,  and  all  paid  for.  I  want  to  make  this 
my  home ;  but  I  am  a  single  man,  living  alone,  but 
I  find  it  not  good  to  be  alone,  and  I  want  a  wife.  I 
thought,  as  you  always  take  an  interest  in  every  good 
work,  and  as  you  live  in  that  great  port  of  entry,  you 


SOCIAL   LIFE.  207 

might  be  kind  enough  to  recommend  to  me  some 
lady  who  would  make  me  a  good  wife.  I  would  like 
to  have  one  possessing  good  common  sense,  good  dis 
position,  and  one  who  understands  how  to  attend  to 
household  duties.  I  think  I  could  make  such  a 
woman  happy,  and  should  not  expect  her  to  work 
beyond  her  own  inclination.  I  am  not  very  particular 
about  beauty,  nor  whether  she  has  a  cent  of  money. 
If  you  can  render  me  any  service  in  this  matter,  I 
shall  be  exceedingly  obliged,  and  will,  besides,  re 
munerate  you  handsomely  for  your  trouble.  Please 
write  me  at  your  earliest  convenience. 

"  Yours  respectfully." 

His  proper  signature  and  address  were  added,  but, 
poor  fellow,  the  demand  was  so  great  among  my  in 
timate  acquaintances,  and  the  supply  so  limited,  that 
I  could  do  nothing  for  him.  If  it  had  been  practica 
ble  for  a  man  to  have  opened  an  "  intelligence  office," 
with  a  good  supply  of  wives  instead  of  servants,  he 
would  have  had  a  run  almost  equal  to  the  run  on  the 
banks  in  Wall-street  a  few  months  ago. 

Mr.  S.,  a  friend  of  mine,  in  the  city  of  Sonora, 
negotiated  for  a  wife,  through  a  very  respectable 
married  lady  in  that  city,  to  whom  he  was  well  and 
favorably  known.  The  said  lady  had  a  niece  in  the 
East,  who  she  thought  would  suit,  and  be  well 
suited  in  my  friend  Mr.  S.  So  it  was  agreed  that 


208  CALIFORNIA   LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

Mr.  S.  should  write  the  said  young  lady,  proposing 
marriage,  and  the  offer  of  money  to  pay  her  passage 
to  California,  and  accompany  the  letter  with  his 
daguerreotype,  and  that  the  aunt  should  also  write 
giving  all  necessary  information,  etc.  The  young 
lady  was  requested  to  answer  at  her  earliest  con 
venience,  and,  if  she  acceded  to  the  proposition,  to 
accompany  her  acceptance  with  her  daguerreotype. 
It  seemed  that  the  young  lady  had  been  desiring  to 
go  to  California  to  see  her  aunt  for  a  long  time,  and 
on  receiving  such  news  from  a  far  country,  made  up 
her  mind  to  go  without  delay. 

The  next  mail  carried  back  her  consent,  and  the 
likeness  of  her  smiling  face,  and  as  soon  as  the  pas 
sage-money  could  be  sent  from  her  unseen  lover,  she 
embarked  for  California.  The  two  lovers  were  intro 
duced  to  each  other,  and  united  together  in  the  holy 
bands  of  matrimony,  in  the  house  of  the  aunt.  I 
learn  that  they  are  getting  along  very  pleasantly, 
and  are  perfectly  delighted  with  each  other. 

If  those  humane  societies  now  engaged  in  sending 
Eastern  girls  to  the  West  as  servants,  could  find 
it  practicable  to  enlarge  their  business  so  as  to  send 
good  girls  of  unblemished,  certified  character,  to  Cal 
ifornia  for  wives,  I  think  it  likely  that  a  bachelor's 
fund  could  be  raised  in  California,  which  would 
defray  all  the  extra  expense  involved  in  the  new 
department  of  the  business.  The  thing  would,  of 


SOCIAL    LIFE.  209 

course,  have  to  be  judiciously  managed,  and  not  con 
nected  with  "  bloomer  fashions ?'  and  "  women's 
rights,"  as  was  an  attempted  enterprise  of  this  kind  a 
few  years  ago.  They  should  go  in  care  of  good  fam 
ilies,  letting  the  bachelor  subscribers,  and  the  said 
families,  alone  know  who  they  are,  or  where  to  be 
found  after  their  arrival. 

I  merely  throw  this  out  as  a  suggestion,  without 
stopping  to  mature,  or  to  present  any  definite  plan. 
It  is,  however,  a  subject  of  great  importance.  There 
are  thousands  of  young  men  in  California  who,  in 
their  isolation,  are  going  to  ruin,  who  could  be  saved, 
and  elevated  to  honorable  citizenship,  by  the  surplus 
of  young  ladies  in  the  Eastern  states  who  are  worthy 
of  good  husbands. 

The  Mexican  war  and  the  gold  attractions  of  Cal 
ifornia,  have  drawn  away  so  many  thousands  of 
young  men  from  the  Eastern  states,  that  the  over 
proportion  of  young  ladies  on  this  side  of  the  con 
tinent  equals,  and  perhaps  greatly  exceeds  the  over 
proportion  of  young  men  in  California,  and  their 
separation  is  a  great  social,  moral,  and  national  evil, 
which  ought,  if  possible,  to  be  remedied. 

There  were  in  California,  according  to  the  state 
census  returns  in  1856,  in  a  total  aggregate  popula- 
tion  of  five  hundred  and  seven  thousand  and  sixty- 
seven,  but  seventy  thousand  white  females  all  told  ; 
while  there  were  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 


210  CALIFORNIA    LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

thousand  "  men  of  war,"  men  liable  to  military  duty, 
between  the  ages  of  eighteen  and  forty-five. 

Now,  in  view  of  the  foregoing  facts,  it  is  not  dim- 
cult  to  conceive  of  the  thrilling  social  effect  of  a 
semi-monthly  arrival  in  San  Francisco  of  wives,  fam 
ilies,  and  charming,  virtuous  Marys.  An  observer 
could  always  tell  a  month  in  advance  when  a  man 
was  expecting  the  arrival  of  his  real  or  intended 
wife ;  the  old  slouch  hat,  check  shirt,  and  coarse 
outer  garments  disappeared,  and  the  gentleman  could 
be  seen  on  Sunday  going  to  church,  newly  rigged 
from  head  to  foot ;  with  fine  beaver  or  silk  hat,  white 
linen  nice  and  clean,  good  broadcloth  coat,  velvet  vest, 
patent-leather  boots,  his  long  beard  shaven  or  neatly 
shorn,  he  looked  like  a  new  man.  As  the  time  drew 
near  many  of  his  hours  were  spent  about  the  wharves 
or  on  telegraph  hill,  and  every  five  minutes  he  was 
looking  for  the  signal  to  announce  the  coming  of  the 
steamer.  If,  owing  to  some  breakage  or  wreck  there 
was  a  delay  of  a  week  or  two,  then  the  suspense  was 
awful  beyond  description.  I  remember  how  my 
good  friend  Hon.  D.  O.  Shattuck,  Judge  of  the  Su 
perior  Court  of  San  Francisco,  who  was  awaiting  the 
arrival  of  his  family  on  the  steamer  "  North  Amer 
ica,"  was  agonized  when  he  heard  of  the  wreck  of 
that  steamer  sixty  miles  below  Acapulco.  After 
much  delay  and  suffering,  however,  they  arrived  in 
safety. 


Z|^|=is=^-  ;        j        • 


ARRIVAL    OF    A    STEAMSHIP. 


SOCIAL   LIFE.  213 

When  the  signal-flag  on  telegraph  hill,  announcing 
the  arrival  of  a  steamer,  was  thrown  to  the  breeze, 
there  was  a  general  rush,  and  before  the  arrival  gun 
was  fired  the  wharf  was  crowded  with  such  men  as 
we  have  described,  accompanied  by  those  who  sym 
pathized  socially  with  them,  to  the  number  some 
times  of  from  three  to  five  thousand. 

The  crowds  became  so  great,  and  so  annoying  to 
passengers  by  their  perfect  blockade  of  the  wharf 
and  streets,  that  the  two  steamship  companies  put 
up  a  gate  at  the  head  of  each  of  their  wharves  to 
prevent  the  assemblage  of  such  masses,  and  gave 
strict  orders  to  the  gate-keepers  to  let  none  pass  in 
unless  they  had  families  or  friends  aboard.  But  even 
after  that  enough  had  families  or  wives  in  anticipa 
tion,  or  particular  friends  aboard,  to  crowd  the 
wharves  still.  The  fact  is,  men  by  hundreds  as 
sembled  through  social  sympathy  to  witness  the 
happy  greeting  of  men  &nd  their  wives  who  had  not 
seen  each  other  for  years,  accompanied  by  dancing 
and  shouting  for  joy,  embracing,  kissing,  laughing, 
and  crying,  all  to  the  great  amusement  of  the  excited 
throng.  The  disappointment  of  those  whose  wives 
did  not  arrive  at  the  time  expected  was  almost  like 
a  thunder  shock.  I  knew  a  man  well  who  boarded 
a  steamer  expecting  to  meet  his  wife,  and  the  disap 
pointment  threw  him  into  a  spell  of  sickness,  from 
which  he  did  not  recover  for  nearly  a  fortnight. 

13 


214  CALIFOKNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

I  knew  another  who  came  from  the  mines  to  meet 
his  wife,  waited  several  days  in  San  Francisco  for  the 
arrival  of  the  steamer,  and  then,  instead  of  meeting 
his  wife,  he  received  a  letter  from  her  stating  that 
she  feared  to  make  the  voyage,  and  had  indefinitely 
postponed  it  unless  he  would  come  home  to  accom 
pany  her.  The  poor  man  became  almost  deranged, 
now  weeping  with  grief,  now  enraged,  saying :  "  I'll 
never  send  for  her  again,  and  I'll  never  go  home  as 
long  as  I  live !  If  she  can  get  along  without  me  I 
can  get  along  without  her.  I'll  go  back  to  the 
mines,  and  live  and  die  a  hermit."  Then  after  a 
pause  he  would  add  :  "  But  there  are  my  children ;  I 
can't  bear  to  give  them  up  !  I  don't  know  what  to 
do,  upon  my  soul  I  can't  tell  what  to  do  !" 

I  took  the  poor  fellow  to  my  house,  and  reasoned 
with  him  on  the  subject  until  I  succeeded  in  recon 
ciling  him  somewhat  to  his  disappointment.  After 
a  few  months  his  family  arrived,  and  they  are  now 
happily  situated  on  a  good  farm  in  San  Jose  Valley. 

My  friend  Brown,  from  Baltimore,  had  two  disap 
pointments  before  his  wife  arrived.  At  the  time  he 
expected  her  he  boarded  the  steamer,  and  learned 
to  his  sorrrow  that  she  was  not  aboard.  He  then 
thought  the  next  steamer  would  bring  her  without 
a  doubt,  and  at  most  he  would  have  to  wait  only 
two  weeks. 

Those  were  long,  dreary  weeks,  but  he  was  a  good 


SOCIAL   LIFE.  215 

fellow,  and  waited  patiently  ;  and  when  the  steamer 
got  in  he  was  on  hand  in  good  time,  you  may  be 
sure.  Rushing  aboard  he  inquired  : 

"  Is  Mrs.  Brown  aboard  ?  is  Mrs.  Brown  aboard  ?" 

"  O  yes,"  replied  one  who  seemed  to  know ;  "  she 
is  in  her  state-room,  No.  — ." 

He  hastily  took  the  circuit  of  the  state-rooms  to 
find  the  number.  Mrs.  Brown  heard  in  the  mean 
time  that  her  beloved  husband  was  aboard,  and  was 
filled  with  ecstasies.  Finally  Brown  found  her  state 
room,  and  sprang  in  to  embrace  his  wife,  when  O ! 
shocking  to  their  hopes!  they  found  it  was  neither 
of  them ;  he  was  not  the  man,  and  she  was  not  the 
woman  ! 

Soon  after,  however,  his  wife  and  family  arrived, 
and  they  are  living  happily  together,  and  are  exem 
plary  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 
California. 

I  had  another  Baltimore  friend,  who  was  a  wid 
ower.  Having  at  home  two  very  interesting  daugh 
ters,  and  a  second  wife  engaged,  he  sent  for  the 
three  to  come  together  to  California.  He  put  on  his 
extras  and  went  to  greet  his  daughters  and  intended 
bride,  but  was  met  by  his  youngest  daughter, 
who  alone  was  left  to  tell  the  sad  tale  that  the  other 
two  had  suddenly  sickened  and  died,  and  found  a 
grave  in  the  coral  depths  of  the  Pacific.  That  was  a 
dark  day  for  poor  "Wm.  H.  Middleton.  Another 


216  CALIFOE1STIA   LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

friend  of  mine  had  his  family  coming  out  in  that 
splendid  clipper  ship,  the  "  Queen  of  the  Seas." 
When  she  was  due,  I  was  told  that  he  prepared  a 
great  feast,  and  invited  about  two  hundred  guests  to 
celebrate  the  occasion  of  his  wife's  arrival.  When 
he  boarded  the  ship  his  little  daughter  met  him,  and 
pointed  him  to  a  box  which  lay  in  a  boat  on  the 
hurricane  deck,  securely  folded  in  tarpaulin,  and 
said  to  him,  "  There's  mother !"  She  had  been  a 
corpse  for  three  months. 

But  notwithstanding  the  distance  and  dangers,  and 
extraordinary  difficulties  attending  emigration  to 
California,  and  the  numerous  deaths  and  disappoint 
ments  recorded  and  not  recorded,  the  yearly  caravans 
across  the  plains,  and  the  semi-monthly  arrivals  in 
San  Francisco,  have  sufficed  already  to  dot  the  great 
social  Sahara  of  California  with  more  than  ten 
thousand  oases.  By  the  introduction  of  good  families, 
and  the  socializing  and  purifying  institutions  of  the 
Gospel,  living  waters  have  broken  "  out  in  the  wilder 
ness,  and  streams  in  the  desert." 


HOSPITAL   EEMTNISCENCES.  21 T 


CHAPTER  Yin. 

HOSPITAL  KEMmiSCENCES  IN  SAN   FEANCISCO. 

IN  the  fall  of  1849,  as  I  walked  down  Clay-street, 
one  day,  my  eye  rested  on  a  sign,  in  large  red  letters, 
"  CITY  HOSPITAL."  I  stopped  and  gazed  at  it 
till  my  soul  was  thrilled  with  horror.  The  letters 
looked  as  if  they  were  written  with  blood,  and  I  said 
to  myself,  Ah !  that's  the  depot  of  death,  where  the 
fast  adventurers  of  California,  young  men  in  man 
hood's  strength,  stricken  down  by  the  hand  of 
disease,  are  cast  out  of  the  train  and  left  to  perish. 
There  all  their  bright  hopes  and  visions  of  future 
wealth  and  weal  expire,  and  are  buried  forever. 
There  are  husbands,  and  sons,  and  brothers,  thou 
sands  of  miles  from  sympathizing  kindred  and  friends, 
dying  in  destitution  and  despair.  Shall  I  not  be  a 
brother  to  the  sick  stranger  in  California,  and  tell 
him  of  that  heavenly  Friend  "that  sticketh  closer 
than  a  brother?"  The  cross  of  intruding  myself 
into  strange  hospitals,  and  offering  my  services  to 
the  promiscuous  masses  of  the  sick  and  dying  of  all 
nations  and  creeds,  was,  to  my  unobtrusive  nature, 


218  CALIFORNIA  LIFE  ILLUSTRATED. 

very  heavy,  but  I  there  resolved  to  take  it  up,  a 
decision  which  I  have  never  regretted.  I  went 
immediately  to  the  said  hospital  and  inquired  for  the 
physician  who  had  it  in  charge ;  introduced  myself  to 
him,  and  told  him  the  object  of  my  call,  to  which 
he  replied:  "I  can  readily  appreciate  your  motives, 
but  then  you  must  know,  sir,  that  we  have  very  sick 
men  in  every  room,  who  could  not  bear  any  noise. 
Anything  like  singing  or  praying  might  greatly 
excite  them  and  make  them  worse.  I  would  prefer 
that  you  would  not  visit  the  wards  unless  some  par 
ticular  man  wishes  to  see  you." 

"  Well,  doctor,"  I  replied,  u  I  certainly  would  not 
wish  to  do  anything  that  would  be  injurious  to  any 
patient,  but  I  have  been  accustomed  to  visit  the 
sick,  and  think  I  so  understand  my  business  as  to 
talk,  and  sing,  and  pray,  or  do  whatever  may  seem 
appropriate,  not  only  without  injury  to  any  one,  but 
in  a  manner  that  will  even  contribute  to  the  im 
provement  of  their  physical  condition.  By  diverting 
their  minds  from  the  dark  realities  of  their  own  con 
dition  and  unhappy  surroundings,  and  by  interest 
ing  them  in  some  new  associations  and  themes  of 
thought,  I  may  impart  to  their  minds  vigor  and  hope, 
and  mind,  and  heart,  and  will  may  unite  with  gather 
ing  strength,  and  make  successful  resistance  against 
disease.  Those  who  are  hopelessly  diseased  cannot 
receive  much  injury  from  my  visits,  while  I  may  be 


HOSPITAL   REMINISCENCES.  219 

instrumental  in  benefiting  their  departing  souls.  If 
you  please,  doctor,"  I  continued,  "you  can  go  with 
me,  or  send  a  man  to  point  out  the  men  to  whom 
you  do  not  wish  me  to  speak,  and  to  see  that  I  do 
no  injury  to  any  one." 

Said  the  doctor :  "I  have  no  time  to  go  with  you, 
and  nobody  to  send." 

Another  doctor  present  then  added:  "It  is  not 
proper  that  he  should  go  through  the  hospital." 

At  that  moment  an  old  man,  who  had  been  sitting 
in  the  office  listening  to  our  conversation,  said : 

"  Doctor,  there  are  many  sick  men  in  the  hospital, 
who,  I  know,  would  be  very  glad  to  receive  a  visit 
from  this  gentleman  ;  and  if  you  will  allow  me,  sir, 
I  will  conduct  him  through  the  rooms." 

The  doctor  replied:  "Very  well.  Take  him  up 
stairs  first,  and  then  down  to  the  lower  wards." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  said  the  o]d  tar,  as  he  beckoned 
me  after  him  up  the  stairs.  He  introduced  me  to 
every  patient  in  the  house,  and  made  a  greater  ado 
over  my  arrival  at  the  hospital  than  if  the  alcalde 
had  visited  them.  I  was  first  conducted  through  the 
"  pay  rooms ;"  the  departments  of  those  who,  in  whole 
or  in  part,  paid  for  their  keeping.  Many  small  rooms 
had  but  from  two  to  four  men  in  them.  Others, 
larger,  had  as  many  as  twelve.  I  spoke  to  each  pa^ 
tient,  inquiring  after  their  condition  of  health,  and 
the  state  of  their  souls.  I  then  addressed  a  few  words 


220  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

of  sympathy  and  religious  instruction  to  all  in  the 
room  collectively,  sung  a  few  verses  in  a  soft  strain, 
and  prayed  in  an  audible,  but  subdued  tone,  adapt 
ing  the  petition,  as  near  as  possible,  to  the  wants  of 
their  individual  cases  as  I  had  learned  them  ;  and  so 
passed  on,  performing  similar  services  in  each  room. 
Darius  Carter,  of  Baltimore,  who  gave  me  fifty  dollars 
for  my  California  chapel,  also  gave  me  ten  dollars' 
worth  of  tracts,  which  I  distributed  principally  in 
the  hospital,  to  the  great  comfort  of  many  who  had 
nothing  else  to  read,  and  nothing  to  do  but  read. 
The  patients  at  first  seemed  very  inquisitive  to  know 
my  object  in  visiting  them,  and  many  at  first  refused 
to  take  tracts,  saying,  "  I  have  no  money ;"  but  when 
they  learned  from  myself  and  my  earnest  old  captain, 
that  my  visit  was  gratuitous,  and  my  tracts  the  same, 
they  expressed  great  surprise  and  gratitude.  Some 
of  them  said  that  they  had  never  supposed  that  any 
body  in  California  ever  thought  of  doing  anything 
but  for  money. 

After  going  through  the  pay  rooms,  I  was  next 
conducted  across  a  yard  to  a  separate  one-story 
building,  about  thirty  by  forty  feet  in  size,  divided 
into  two  wards,  each  containing  from  forty  to  fifty 
sick  men.  Here  the  city  patients,  proper,  were  con 
fined  together  as  closely  as  possible,  and  allow  room 
between  their  cots  for  one  person  to  pass.  I  thought 
the  up-stair  rooms  were  filthy  enough  to  kill  any  well 


HOSPITAL    REMINISCENCES.  221 

man,  who  would  there  confine  himself  for  a  short 
period ;  but  I  now  saw  that,  in  comparison  with  the 
others,  they  were  entitled  to  be  called  choice  rooms, 
for  the  privilege  of  dying  in  which  a  man  who  had 
money  might  well  afford  to  pay  high  rates.  But 
these  "lower  wards"  were  so  offensive  to  the  eye, 
and  especially  to  the  olfactories,  that  it  was  with 
great  difficulty  I  could  remain  long  enough  to  do  the 
singing,  praying,  and  talking  I  deemed  my  duty. 

The  ordinary  comforts,  and  even  the  necessaries 
of  life  in  California,  in  those  days,  were  very  rare 
and  costly;  and  to  the  patients  were  things  to  be 
remembered  in  the  experience  of  the  past,  only  to 
add,  by  contrast,  a  keener  edge  to  their  present  sor 
rows. 

The  nurses  were  generally  men,  devoid  of  sym 
pathy,  careless,  rude  in  their  care  of  the  sick,  and 
exceedingly  vulgar  and  profane.  One  hundred  dol 
lars  per  month  was  about  as  low  as  anything  in  the 
shape  of  a  man  could  be  hired,  and  hence  hospital 
nurses  were  not  only  the  most  worthless  of  men, 
but  insufficient  in  number  to  attend  adequately  to 
their  duties. 

I  remember  a  poor  fellow,  by  the  name  of  Switzer, 
died  in  one  of  these  wards,  who  told  me  that  he  lay 
whole  nights  suffering,  in  addition  to  the  pains  of 
mortal  disease,  the  ragings  of  thirst,  without  a  drop  of 
water  to  wet  his  lips.  A  cup  of  tea  was  set  in  the 


222  CALIFORNIA    LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

evening  upon  a  shelf  over  his  head,  but  his  strength 
was  gone,  and  he  had  no  more  power  to  reach  it 
than  a  man  on  a  gibbet.  He  was  a  Christian,  too,  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  Church,  and  I  have 
no  doubt  went  from  there  to  heaven.  When  he  got 
to  that  country  in  which  "there  is  no  more  death, 
neither  sorrow  nor  crying,"  and  looked  back  to  the 
place  where  he  left  his  corruptible  body,  the  con 
trast  must  have  filled  him  with  unutterable  sur 
prise. 

The  most  prevalent  and  fatal  disease  in  California 
at  that  time  was  chronic  diarrhea  and  dysentery,  a 
consumption  of  the  bowels,  very  similar,  in  its  debili 
tating  mortal  effect  upon  the  constitution,  to  consump 
tion  of  the  lungs.  Men  afflicted  with  this  disease 
have  been  seen  moping  about  the  streets,  looking 
like  the  personification  of  death  and  despair,  for 
weeks,  till  strength,  and  money,  and  friends  were 
gone,  and  then,  as  a  last  resort,  they  wrere  carried  to 
the  hospital,  to  pass  a  few  miserable  weeks  more  in 
one  of  those  filthy  wards,  where  they  often  died,  I 
was  told  by  the  patients,  in  the  night,  without  any 
one  knowing  the  time  of  their  departure.  In  the 
morning,  when  the  nurses  passed  round,  they  found 
and  reported  the  dead.  A  plain  coffin  was  imme 
diately  brought,  for  a  supply  was  kept  on  hand,  and 
laid  beside  the  cot  of  the  deceased,  and  he  was  lifted 
from  the  cot  just  as  he  died,  laid  in  the  coffin,  and 


HOSPITAL    BEMIKLSCENCES.  223 

carried  out  to  the  dead  cart,  the  driver  of  which 
was  seen  daily  plodding  through  the  mud  to  the 
graveyard,  near  North  Beach,  with  from  one  to  three 
corpses  at  a  load. 

While  many  lingered  on  the  confines  of  death  for 
weeks,  I  have  often  seen  men  enter  those  horrible 
wards  with  apparently  very  slight  indisposition,  and 
within  a  few  days  wilt  down  and  die.  I  wondered 
that  any  could  survive  in  such  a  place  for  a  longer 
period.  The  city  was  then  paying  for  the  care  of 
those  patients  five  dollars  per  day,  an  amount,  one 
would  think,  sufficient  to  furnish  a  motive,  if  not  to 
cure  and  discharge  the  patients,  at  least  to  prolong 
their  lives  as  long  as  possible ;  but  I  suppose  they 
made  as  profitable  a  speculation  out  of  the  multipli 
cation  of  new  cases  as  they  could  do  by  protracting 
the  lives  of  the  old  ones ;  and  hence,  no  matter  how 
fast  they  died,  others  took  their  places,  who  for  a 
time,  perhaps,  required  less  attention. 

It  turned  out  that  the  old  man  who  piloted  me 
through  the  hospital  on  my  first  visit  was  an  old  ship 
master,  Captain  A.  Welch.  He  introduced  me  that 
day  to  his  friend  Captain  Lock,  who  died  soon  after, 
having  after  my  visit  professed  to  find  peace  through 
Jesus,  and  a  preparation  for  heaven.  Captain  "Welch 
told  me  that  seeing  his  friend  neglected,  he  said  to 
the  doctor:  "Captain  Lock  has  had  no  attention  for 
forty-eight  hours,  and  is  dying  from  sheer  neglect." 


224  CALIFOBXEA    LIFE    ILLUSTEATED. 

"Well,"  replied  the  doctor,  "let  him  die,  the 
sooner  the  better.  The  world  can  well  spare  him, 
and  the  community  will  be  relieved  when  he  is  gone." 
He  died  that  night.  Before  his  death  he  gave  his 
clothing  to  his  friend  Captain  Welch,  but  the  captain 
told  him  he  would  not  touch  a  thing  he  had  while  he 
was  alive,  but  as  soon  as  he  was  gone  the  nurse 
relieved  the  captain  of  any  trouble  with  the  effects 
of  the  deceased  man. 

The  doctor  fell  out  with  Captain  "Welch,  because 
he  spoke  his  mind  so  freely,  and  threatened  to  turn 
him  out  of  the  hospital. 

"  Yes,"  said  Captain  Welch,  in  reply,  "  I  saw  Cap 
tain  pay  you  for  the  ten  days  he  had  been  in 

here  eighty-six  dollars,  and  after  his  death  you  col 
lected  the  same  bill  from  his  friends.  JSTow,  sir,  if 
you  want  me  to  show  you  up,  just  turn  me  out." 

The  doctor  then  took  his  cot  from  him,  and  the 
captain  said :  "  Doctor,  where  shall  I  sleep,  sir  ?" 

"Sleep  there  on  the  floor,"  replied  the  doctor, 
pointing  to  a  corner  where  they  laid  out  the  dead, 
when  it  was  too  late  in  the  evening,  or  the  weather 
too  bad,  to  remove  them  directly  from  their  cot  of 
death  to  the  dead  cart. 

The  captain  said  he  lay  there  one  night  with  four 
corpses  around  him,  and  could  hardly  get  his  breath. 
I  have  heard  patients  complain  of  very  foul  play 
toward  those  who  had  money,  but  sick  men  are  apt 


HOSPITAL    KEMIKESCENCES.  225 

to  be  sensitive  and  suspicions,  especially  in  such 
a  place  as  that,  and  I  always  hoped  those  things 
were  not  so  bad  as  represented ;  but  from  what  I  saw 
I  had  my  fears  for  the  safety  of  any  man's  life  who 
had  money,  in  the  hospital  at  the  time  of  which  I 
speak. 

The  hospital  changed  hands  several  times,  how 
ever,  within  a  few  months,  and  one  or  two  good  phy 
sicians,  and  I  believe  honest  and  kind-hearted  men, 
had  for  a  short  time  the  care  of  the  sick,  and  were 
really  working  a  reform  in  the  old  hospital,  before 
the  whole  care  of  the  city  patients  was,  in  1850,  trans 
ferred  to  Doctor  Peter  Smith,  in  a  new  hospital,  near 
the  corner  of  Clay  and  Powell  streets,  where  the  sick 
had  better  accommodations,  and  more  attention 
shown  them. 

Old  Captain  Welch  was  in  the  old  hospital  over  a 
year,  and  would  doubtless  have  died  if  he  had  been 
confined  to  his  room,  but  he  was  out  where  he  could 
get  pure  air  most  of  his  time.  He  had  a  very  sore 
leg,  and  the  doctor  told  him  that  it  was  mortifying 
and  would  have  to  be  amputated.  Finally  several 
doctors  came  into  his  room  with  a  table,  and  a  lot  of 
surgical  instrument,  and  said  to  him,  "  Come,  cap 
tain,  we  want  to  lash  you  to  this  table,  and  take  off 
that  bad  leg  of  yours." 

"  I  won't  have  my  leg  taken  off,"  replied  the  cap 
tain. 


226  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

"If  you  don't,"  said  the  doctor,  "you  are  a  dead 
man,  or  as  good  as  dead,  for  that  leg  is  mortified  now." 

"  Well,"  said  the  captain,  "  if  I  die  I'll  die  with 
both  legs  on  me." 

The  doctor  became  enraged,  and  said  to  him :  "  If 
you  don't  obey  orders  immediately,  and  submit  to  the 
rules  of  this  house,  you  shall  leave  it  this  day." 

"Yery  well,"  rejoined  the  captain.  "And  that 
very  day,"  said  the  captain  to  me  since,  "I  took  up 
my  sore  leg  and  walked  oif  with  it,  and  have  not 
been  back  since."  He  is  the  same  Captain  Welch 
who  since  received  a  medal  from  some  New- York 
citizens  for  his  success  in  rescuing  a  number  of  the 
poor  survivors  of  the  wrecked  "  steamer  San  Fran 
cisco,"  and  is  now  employed  as  colporteur  and  Bible 
distributer  in  the  city  of  New- York. 

John  Purseglove,  a  good  Methodist  brother,  who 
had  just  arrived  in  the  city,  sick  and  destitute,  was 
sent  to  the  hospital ;  but  finding  that  he  was  sinking 
daily,  and  would  soon  die  if  he  remained  there,  he 
prayed  to  the  Lord  to  give  him  strength  to  get  off  his 
bed  and  walk  away.  He  said  he  believed  the  Lord 
would  help  him,  and  according  to  his  faith  so  was  his 
effort,  for  he  immediately  crawled  out,  and  without 
saying  a  word  to  doctor,  or  nurse,  or  anybody,  he 
scrambled  away  by  the  aid  of  a  couple  of  sticks, 
determined,  if  he  must  die,  to  die  somewhere  else. 
Some  of  the  brethren  soon  found  him,  and  fitted  up  a 


HOSPITAL    REMINISCENCES.  22T 

room  for  him  and  supplied  his  wants  till  he  recovered. 
He  believes  to  this  day,  that  by  leaving  the  hospital 
he  slipped  right  out  of  the  clutches  of  death. 

Sick  and  destitute  members  of  our  Church  have 
generally  been  cared  for  by  the  brethren  in  San 
Francisco.  I  have  no  recollection  of  more  than  three 
Methodists  who  died  in  the  San  Francisco  hospital, 
and  they  were  sick  on  their  arrival,  and  had  never 
been  reported  to  the  Church.  Indeed  there  were 
but  very  few  hospital  patients  connected  with  any 
Church.  I  met  with  many  backsliders  there  who 
had  once  been  Church  members,  but  were  not  then. 

An  extraordinary  degree  of  liberality  has  always 
been  shown  by  the  masses  of  Californians  toward  the 
sick  and  destitute.  But  few  men,  it  is  true,  would 
give  their  time  even  to  carry  a  dying  man  out  of  the 
streets,  but  would  freely  give  their  money  on  applica 
tion.  Then  again,  the  Order  of  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  who  organized  a  Lodge  in  San  Francisco  as 
early  as  October,  1849,  and  now  number  five  or  six 
thousand  members  in  the  state,  have  done  a  vast 
amount  of  work,  and  expended  several  hundred 
thousand  dollars  for  the  relief  of  the  suffering  and 
destitute  in  California.  The  Indepedent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  who  organized  about  the  same  time, 
have  fully  measured  up  with  the  Masons,  according 
to  my  best  information,  in  numbers,  charitable  works, 
and  liberality. 


228  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

Other  charitable  institutions  have  each  done  their 
part,  and  the  Churches  of  various  denominations  have 
displayed  great  liberality,  not  only  for  the  relief  of 
their  own  destitute  members,  but  in  response  to  the 
calls  of  the  suffering  of  every  variety.  A  vast 
amount  of  money  has  been  raised  to  pay  the  home 
ward  passage  of  destitute  maimed  and  sick  men.  I 
remember  a  case,  for  illustration,  of  a  man  by  the 
name  of  Peter  Deal,  who  in  the  summer  of  1851 
came  one  night  to  a  love-feast  in  our  church  on 
Powell-street,  and  told  a  good  story  about  his  re 
ligious  enjoyments,  his  afflictions,  destitution,  desire 
to  go  home  to  his  family,  etc.  None  of  us  had 
ever  seen  him  before ;  but  at  the  close  of  the  meet 
ing  the  brethren  raised  for  him  one  hundred  and 
forty  dollars  to  pay  his  passage  home.  Similar  calls 
for  passage-money  were  made,  as  regularly  as  the 
sailing  of  the  steamers,  on  the  Churches  generally, 
and  the  people  at  large,  and  wherever  a  hope  of  suc 
cess  presented  itself.  Many  hundred  dollars  have 
been  contributed  by  the  crowds  attending  preaching 
on  the  Plaza  to  assist  poor  fellows  who,  by  sickness 
or  otherwise,  were  disabled,  to  get  back  to  their 
families  and  friends. 

To  transcribe  in  detail  the  hospital  scenes  which 
have  been  daguerreotyped  on  the  tablets  of  my  mem 
ory  during  a  period  of  seven  years  in  San  Francisco, 
would  make  a  volume  so  large,  and  so  revolting  to 


HOSPITAL    KEMLNISCENCES.  229 

humanity  in  its  delineations,  that  the  reader  would 
sicken  and  turn  away  from  it  before  he  could  read 
half  through  it.  Our  purpose,  therefore,  in  these  remi 
niscences,  is  simply  to  present  a  few  specimen  scenes, 
and  individual  cases  of  hope  and  of  despair  occurring 
at  different  periods  in  the  history  of  that  city.  As  a 
general  description,  I  would  remark,  the  City  Hospi 
tal  of  San  Francisco,  from  1849  up  to  the  present,  has 
always  had  a  great  variety  of  patients,  ranging  in 
number  from  one  hundred  to  three  hundred  and  fifty. 
The  largest  number  of  the  patients  were  Americans, 
and  foreigners  who  spoke  the  English  language.  The 
next  in  number  were  Frenchmen,  and  then  Germans, 
and  Spaniards,  and  Scandinavians,  Russians,  Portu 
guese,  Italians,  Turks,  Islanders  of  various  tribes, 
Chinamen,  etc. 

My  usual  mode  of  visitation  was  to  speak  person 
ally  to  as  many  as  possible ;  inquire  into  their  condi 
tion  and  wants,  bodily,  spiritual,  and  otherwise; 
act  as  amanuensis  for  the  sick  and  dying,  recording 
last  messages  to  friends  at  home;  get  letters  out  of 
the  post-office,  and  convey  them  to  the  sick;  carry 
messages  to  friends  in  the  city;  and  in  very  early 
days,  when  waiters  were  scarce,  I  often  ministered  to 
the  bodily  wants  of  the  sick,  dressed  blisters, 
turned  or  raised  patients,  fixed  their  beds,  gave 
them  drink,  and  sometimes  comforted  the  con 
valescing  with  a  little  of  Mrs.  Taylor's  good  home- 
U 


230  CALIFOENIA   LIFE   ILLUSTEATED. 

made  bread,  and  gave  them  such  advice  as  I  thought 
might  be  useful  to  them. 

In  the  winter  of  1849-50,  we  had  a  great  many 
scurvy  patients  in  the  hospital ;  many  of  whom  had 
been  on  long  voyages,  living  for  months  on  what  the 
sailors  call  "  old  junk  "  and  ship-bread  ;  all  the  fresh 
meat  they  got  was  found  in  a  live  state  in  their 
bread.  Poor  fellows !  they  had  come  to  a  bad 
market,  where  potatoes  were  fifty  cents  per  pound, 
and  scarcely  any  other  vegetables  to  be  had  at 
any  price.  There  they  were,  confined  in  the  bad 
atmosphere  of  the  hospital,  swallowing  drugs  and 
dry  provisions,  sinking  down  and  dying  daily.  One 
day,  as  I  entered  a  large  ward  filled  with  such 
patients,  I  looked  at  them  and  thought  a  minute  on 
their  wretched  condition,  and  then  I  said,  "  My 
friends,  what  are  you  doing  here  ?  You  are  cooped 
up  in  this  miserable  place,  without  fresh  air,  without 
sunshine,  without  exercise,  and  without  vegetable 
diet.  You  will  die,  the  last  man  of  you,  if  you  don't 
get  out  of  this  place.  You  had  better  be  turned  out 
in  San  Jose  Valley  to  graze,  like  old  Nebuchadnez 
zar,  than  pine  away  and  die  in  such  a  place  as  this. 
Now,"  said  I,  "  I'll  tell  you  what  will  cure  you.  On 
those  sand-hills  back  of  the  city  there  grows  a  kind 
of  wild  lettuce,"  which  I  described  to  them.  "  If  you 
will  go  out  and  gather  that  lettuce  and  use  it,  with  a 
little  vinegar,  it  will  cure  you.  I  knew  the  open  air, 


HOSPITAL    REMINISCENCES.  231 

and  sunshine,  and  exercise  would  help  them,  and 
believed  the  prescribed  salad  the  best  thing  for 
them  within  their  reach.  It  was  an  interesting  sight 
to  see  those  poor  fellows  under  the  inspiration  of 
a  new  hope,  crawling  out  and  scrambling  up  the 
hills  in  search  of  my  prescribed  cure.  The  next 
week,  when  I  called  again  to  see  them,  I  was  really 
surprised  to  see  how  much  their  condition  had  im 
proved.  When  I  entered,  some  of  the  poor  fellows 
wept,  and  others  laughed,  and  after  a  grateful 
greeting  they  said:  "You've  saved  our  lives,  sir; 
your  prescription  has  done  us  more  good  than  all  the 
medicines  and  all  the  doctors  in  the  city  could  do 
for  us."  The  most  of  them  soon  afterward  recovered 
and  left  the  hospital.  As  a  spiritual  adviser  in  my 
hospital  visits,  I  generally  addressed  them  personally, 
and  tried  to  lead  them  to  seek  an  acquaintance  with 
the  sinner's  Friend.  I  then  usually  sung  in  each  ward, 
in  a  soft  tone,  one,  two,  or  three  appropriate  pieces, 
and  prayed  for  them  collectively  and  personally, 
so  far  as  I  had  been  able  to  learn  their  personal  con 
dition  and  wants,  and  frequently,  either  before  or 
after  prayer,  made  some  remarks  in  the  form  of  an 
exhortation  to  be  reconciled  to  God.  I  usually 
introduced  religious  exercises  by  saying :  "  If  my 
brethren  in  affliction  have  no  objections,  we  will  sing 
a  few  verses  and  have  a  word  of  prayer  together." 
I  do  not  remember  of  ever  hearing  an  objection 


232  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

made  but  once,  and  that  was  by  a  poor  man  who 
became  very  much  ashamed  of  his  conduct  before 
the  exercises  were  over.  Many,  to  be  sure,  seemed 
careless  and  indifferent,  read  novels  while  I  prayed, 
and  never  seemed  to  profit  by  what  I  said,  but  a 
large  majority  seemed  to  appreciate  very  highly 
my  efforts  for  their  good.  Even  foreigners,  who 
could  not  understand  my  language,  seemed  greatly 
interested,  especially  in  my  singing. 

I  was  once  traveling  in  San  Jose  Valley,  and 
passing  in  sight  of  a  company  of  Spaniards,  who  had 
stopped  at  a  spring  of  water  to  refresh  themselves, 
one  of  them  came  running  to  me,  and  grasped  my 
hand  as  though  I  had  been  a  brother  he  had  not 
seen  for  a  dozen  years.  For  a  moment  I  could  not 
tell  how  to  interpret  his  conduct ;  but  I  immediately 
recognized  him  as  a  man  I  had  often  seen  in  the 
hospital.  He  had  been  a  great  sufferer,  and  I  had 
many  times  bent  over  him  and  inquired  after  his 
welfare,  and  it  seemed  that  my  attentions  to  him,  or 
the  singing,  or  something  else,  had  made  a  deep  im 
pression  on  him. 

I  think,  however,  from  all  I  could  see  and  learn, 
that  not  more  than  an  average  of  one  hospital 
patient  in  thirty  was  a  professor  of  experimental 
religion.  About  an  average  of  one  in  every  five 
showed  signs  of  penitence ;  but  of  those  not  more 
than  one  in  twenty  made  a  profession  of  religion. 


HOSPITAL    REMINISCENCES.  233 

In  my  book  on  "Street  Preaching"  there  is  a 
chapter  of  "  triumphant  death  scenes,"  in  which  is 
given  a  number  of  cases  of  hopeful  conversion  to 
God  among  hospital  patients ;  but  those,  alas !  are 
but  the  exceptions,  and  not  the  rule.  The  rule  is 
for  men  to  die  as  they  have  lived. 

The  question  is  often  asked  in  regard  to  a  de 
parted  friend :  "  How  did  he  die  ?  Was  he  pre 
pared  ?"  A  more  appropriate  inquiry  is :  "  How 
did  he  live  ?"  "  Tell  me  how  he  lived,  and  I'll  tell 
you  how  he  died,"  unless  he  is  one  of  the  rare  excep 
tions  referred  to.  I,  however,  never  feel  like  giving 
a  sinner  up  this  side  the  gates  of  perdition,  for  we 
are  not  saved  by  works  of  righteousness  which  we 
have  done,  but  by  the  mercy  of  God  through  the 
merits  of  Jesus ;  and  if  a  man,  even  in  the  grasp  of 
death,  can  fully  submit  to  the  will  of  God,  and  "  be 
lieve  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  I  know  of  nothing 
to  prevent  his  being  saved  from  sin,  and  washed  in 
the  blood  of  sprinkling,  and  thus  prepared  for 
heaven. 

But  the  difficulty  which  I  have  seen  illus 
trated  in  the  experience  of  thousands  of  sick  ancl 
dying  men,  consists  in  the  fact  that  the  principles 
and  habits  which  have  been  developed  and  matured 
by  a  life  of  rebellion  against  God,  are,  according  to 
the  constitutional  laws  of  mind,  still  strong  and  con 
trolling  in  death,  and  the  stronger,  frequently,  be- 


234  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

cause  of  the  enfeebled,  distracted  condition  of  the 
soul  amid  the  wreck  of  its  tabernacle. 

The  dreadful  habit  of  procrastination,  for  example, 
is  about  as  common  and  all-conquering  in  sickness 
and  death  as  it  is  in  life  and  health. 

I  remember,  after  pleading  with  a  dying  man  to 
give  his  heart  to  God,  he  said :  "  O,  it's  not  worth 
while  now;  I'm  getting  better;  I'll  soon  be  well. 
I  feel  no  pain  at  all,  and  nothing  ails  me  now  but 
want  of  breath.  I  can't  breathe  easy ;  but  I'll  soon 
be  relieved  of  that." 

Poor  man !  I  could  then  hear  distinctly  the  death- 
rattle  in  his  throat,  and  yet  he  would  not  believe 
that  there  was  any  danger.  In  a  few  hours  he  was  a 
corpse. 

I  remember  a  fine-looking  young  man  from  New- 
York,  whom  I  tried  hard  to  lead  to  Christ ;  and  after 
talking,  and  singing,  and  praying  with  him,  and 
doing  everything  I  could  to  induce  him  to  try  and 
seek  Jesus,  I  said  to  him :  "  Now,  my  dear  brother, 
when  will  you  begin  to  pray,  and  try  to  give  your 
heart  to  God?" 

"Well,"  said  he,  "I  think  I  will  make  a  com 
mencement  in  about  three  weeks." 

The  poor  fellow,  though  he  would  not  believe  it, 
was  dying  then,  and  I  knew  it,  and  hence  continued 
to  press  the  subject  of  a  preparation  on  his  attention 
till  he  drew  the  cover  over  his  head  to  escape  my 


HOSPITAL    REMINISCENCES.  235 

appeals.  A  few  hours  afterward  he  was  covered 
with  the  pall  of  death. 

Young  C.  M.  was  accidentally  shot,  and  immedi 
ately  sent  for  me  in  such  haste  that  the  messenger 
stopped  me  in  the  midst  of  a  street  sermon,  and  en 
treated  me  to  go  at  once  arid  try  to  relieve  the  mind 
of  the  dying  man.  When  I  presented  myself  beside 
his  bloody  bed,  he  said : 

"  Father  Taylor,  I'm  glad  you've  come  ;  but  O ! 
I'm  in  such  pain  I  can't  talk,  nor  pray,  nor  do  any 
thing  now.  Please  call  again  in  an  hour ;  perhaps 
by  that  time  I'll  feel  better." 

I  prayed  with  him,  and  called  again  at  the  ap 
pointed  time,  and  found  him  gasping  in  his  last 
struggle. 

Without  noting  a  hundred  such  cases,  as  I  might, 
which  have  come  under  my  own  observation,  I  will, 
for  the  further  illustration  of  the  subject,  add  but  one 
other  case. 

He  was  a  very  genteel-looking  man,  who  died  with 
cholera  in  the  hospital  during  the  fall  of  1850.  He 
was  in  a  collapsed  state  when  I  found  him.  I  said 
to  him  :  "  My  dear  brother,  have  you  made  your 
peace  with  God  ?" 

"  No,  sir,"  answered  he  ;  "I  can't  say  that  I  have." 

"  Do  you  not  pray  to  the  Lord  sometimes  to  have 
mercy  on  you,  and  for  the  sake  of  Jesus  to  pardon 
vour  sins  ?" 


236  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 


"  Have  yon  never  prayed  ?" 

"  No,  sir,  never  in  my  life." 

"  You  believe  in  the  Divine  reality  of  religion,  and 
that  we  may  have  our  sins  all  forgiven,  and  enjoy 
the  conscious  evidence  of  pardon,  do  you  not  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  believe  in  religion,  and  think  it  a  very 
good  thing  to  have." 

He  was  calm  and  composed  ;  his  dreadful  parox 
ysms  had  passed,  and  the  fatal  work  was  done.  He 
was  then  poised  on  an  eddying  wave  of  death's  dark 
tide,  which  on  its  next  swell  would  whirl  him  out  of 
the  bounds  of  time  into  the  breakers  of  eternal  seas 
beyond.  I  saw  his  peril,  and  pulled  with  all  my 
might  to  bring  the  life-boat  of  mercy  by  his  side.  I 
got  very  near  to  him,  and  entreated  him  to  try  to 
get  into  it  and  save  his  soul,  but  I  could  not  prevail 
on  him  to  make  an  effort;  under  the  force  of  the 
ruling  habit  of  his  life  he  coolly  said  : 

"  Well,  I'll  think  about  it." 

How  true  the  sentiment  of  an  English  bard  : 

"  Procrastination  is  the  thief  of  time  ; 
Year  after  year  it  steals  till  all  is  gone, 
And  to  the  mercy  of  a  moment  leaves 
The  vast  concerns  of  an  eternal  state." 

But  horrible  to  relate,  that  last  moment  on  which 
hangs  the  soul's  eternal  destiny,  is  hooked  by  the 
same  insidious  rogue,  and  then  and  forever  all  is  lost  ! 


HOSPITAL    REMINISCENCES.  237 

Next  to  the  horrible  habit  of  procrastination,  and 
closely  allied  with  it,  is  that  of  indifference  and 
moral  insensibility,  that  dreadful  state  thus  described 
by  St.  Paul :  "  Having  the  understanding  darkened, 
being  alienated  from  the  life  of  God  through  the 
ignorance  that  is  in  them,  because  of  the  blindness 
of  their  heart :  who  being  past  feeling  have  given 
themselves  over  unto  lasciviousness,  to  work  all  un- 
cleanness  with  greediness."  This  state  of  mind  in 
some  cases  manifests  itself  in  reckless  self-deception, 
and  in  many  more  in  the  blindest  stupidity  and  indif 
ference  in  regard  to  the  future  of  their  souls. 

A  dying  sailor,  originally  from  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
whom  I  exhorted  to  be  reconciled  to  God,  said : 

"  I  don't  think  it  makes  much  difference  whether 
I  have  religion  or  not.  I  have  always  lived  a  straight 
forward,  upright  life,  like  other  sailors,  and  I  can't 
see  what  more  is  required." 

A  very  good-looking  young  man  said,  in  reply  to 
my  entreaties  on  behalf  of  his  soul : 

"  I  have  not  prayed,  and  don't  intend  to.  God 
Almighty  can  do  with  me  what  he  likes ;  I  shan't 
concern  myself  about  it." 

He  then  turned  over,  shut  his  eyes  to  sleep,  and 
woke  up  in  eternity. 

"When  to  this  soul-destroying  habit  of  indifference 
there  is  added  a  surfeit  of  drugs  and  opiates,  there  is 
but  little  more  power  of  thought,  feeling,  prayer,  or 


238  CALIEOKNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

repentance  than  might  be  expected  of  the  dead.  I 
have  seen  hundreds  of  poor  fellows  sleeping  away 
their  lives  without  any  apparent  consciousness  of 
danger ;  and  I  have  heard  men  call  this  peaceful 
dying ! 

J.  M'.  died  of  cholera  at  a  boarding-house  kept  by 
a  Scotchman,  who  sent  for  me  to  attend  his  funeral, 
and  said  to  me  on  the  occasion,  in  regard  to  the 
deceased :  "  He  was  a  good  man.  One  of  the  best 
men  I  ever  had  in  my  house,  and  he  died  in  great 
peace.  He  did  not  speak  a  word  for  twenty-four 
hours  before  his  death.  Ah !  he  was  a  good  man ;  to 
be  sure,  he  would  take  a  glass  of  grog  now  and  then, 
and  was  fond  of  a  game  of  cards,  and  sometimes 
would  swear  a  little,  but  he  didn't  mean  any  harm  by 
that,  for  he  was  a  good  man,  and  died  in  great  peace." 

A  great  many,  however,  of  those  whom  I  have 
seen  in  the  death  struggle,  shook  off  the  apathy  I 
have  described,  and  awoke  to  the  keenest  sensibili 
ties  of  conscience,  and  the  most  dreadful  forebodings 
of  future  ill ;  but  a  large  majority  of  such  wrapped 
themselves  closely  in  the  mantle  of  despair,  so  dark 
and  impervious  that  no  ray  of  hope  could  reach 
their  souls.  A  dying  young  man  from  Michigan 
said,  in  an  agony  of  emotion :  "  O  that  I  had  sought 
religion  when  I  might !  but  I  put  it  off,  and  now  I'm 
so  weak  in  body  and  mind  it  is  no  use  to  try.  Too 
late  now !" 


HOSPITAL    REMINISCENCES.  239 

A  gentleman  from  Boston,  very  near  his  end,  said 
to  me: 

"My  friends  are  nearly  all  religious  ;  I  have  passed 
through  a  great  many  revivals,  and  have  had  a  great 
many  pressing  invitations  and  opportunities  to  seek 
religion.  How  easy  it  would  then  have  been  for  me 
to  have  given  my  heart  to  God.  What  a  fool  I  was. 
Why  did  I  not  embrace  religion  and  be  a  happy 
man?  I  should  then  have  been  ready  for  this  hour. 
But  alas!  I  did  not  when  I  might,  and  now  I 
cannot." 

A  poor  young  man  said  as  he  was  n  earing  the 
grave :  "  When  I  try  to  pray  my  mind  becomes  de 
ranged,  and  I'm  so  weak  I  cannot  pray." 

When  Mr.  R.,  from  Baltimore,  was  seized  with 
cholera,  he  sent  for  me  to  come  and  see  him,  and 
said  to  me,  when  I  entered  his  room :  "  My  wife, 
who  is  a  Christian  woman,  has  been  writing  me  ever 
since  I  came  here  to  make  your  acquaintance,  and 
attend  your  church,  but  I  have  not  done  it ;  and  what 
is  worse,  I  am  about  to  leave  the  world  without  a 
preparation  to  meet  God."  He  was  as  noble-looking 
a  man  as  could  be  found  in  a  thousand,  and  knowing 
many  of  his  friends  in  Baltimore  I  felt  the  greatest 
possible  sympathy  for  him  ;  my  soul  loved  him,  and  I 
determined,  if  possible,  to  contest  the  devil's  claim 
on  him  to  the  last  moment  of  his  life.  But  he  was 
in  despair,  and  after  laboring  with  him  about  an 


240  CALIFOKTTCA    LIFE    ILLUSTKATED. 

hour,  in  urging  him  to  try  to  fix  his  mind  on  some 
precious  promise  of  the  Bible,  he  said  : 

"  There  is  but  one  passage  in  the  Bible  that  I  can 
call  to  mind,  and  that  haunts  me.  I  can  think 
of  nothing  else,  for  it  exactly  suits  my  case :  '  He  that 
being  often  reproved  hardeneth  his  heart,  shall  sud 
denly  be  destroyed,  and  that  without  remedy.'  Mr. 
Taylor,"  continued  he,  "  it's  no  use  to  talk  to  me,  or 
to  try  to  do  anything  further ;  I  am  that  man,  and  my 
doom  is  fixed." 

The  next  day  when  I  entered  his  room  he  said  to 
a  couple  of  young  men  present,  "Go  out,  boys;  I 
want  to  talk  to  Mr.  Taylor."  Then  he  said  :  "  I  have 
no  hope,  my  doom  is  fixed;  but,  for  the  warning 
of  others,  I  want  to  tell  you  something  that  occurred 
a  few  months  ago.  I  was  then  in  health,  and  doing 
a  good  business,  and  a  man  said  to  me,  '  Dick,  how 
\vould  you  like  to  have  a  clerkship?'  and  I  replied, 
£I  wouldn't  have  a  clerkship  under  Jesus  Christ.' 
Now,  sir,  that  is  the  way  I  treated  Christ  when  I 
thought  I  did  not  need  him;  and  now  when  I'm 
dying,  and  can  do  no  better  for  this  life,  it's  presump 
tion  to  offer  myself  to  him.  It  is  no  use ;  he  won't 
have  me." 

Nothing  that  I  could  say  seemed  to  have  any 
effect  toward  changing  his  mind.  A  few  hours  after 
ward,  when  he  felt  the  icy  grasp  of  death  upon  his 
heart,  he  cried,  "  Boys,  help  me  out  of  this  place !" 


HOSPITAL    REMINISCENCES.  241 

"  O  no,  Dick,  you're  too  sick ;  we  cannot  help 
you  up." 

"  O  do  help  me  up  ;  I  can't  lie  here." 

"  O  Dick,  don't  exert  yourself  so :  you'll  hasten 
your  death." 

"  Boys,"  said  the  poor  fellow,  "  if  you  don't  help 
me  up,  I'll  cry  Murder  !"  and  with  that  he  cried  at 
the  top  of  his  voice,  which  was  yet  strong  and 
clear,  "Murder!  murder!  murder!"  till  life's  tide 
ebbed  out,  and  his  voice  was  hushed  in  death. 
How  dreadful  the  hazard  of  postponing  the  business 
of  life,  the  great  object  for  which  life  is  given,  to  the 
hour  when  heart  and  flesh  are  failing  f 

O 

The  City  Hospital  has  changed  hands  many  times, 
and  its  location  has  been  changed  nearly  as  often  as 
its  resident  physicians.  It  has  also  changed  its  name, 
bearing  for  several  years  past  the  title  of  "  State  Ma 
rine  Hospital."  JSTo  permanent  improvements  for  the 
comfort  of  city  patients  have  been  made.  The  city 
has  always  borne  the  enormous  tax  of  heavy  rents 
for  hospital  accommodations,  with  all  other  incon 
veniences  of  renters. 

There  have  been  several  private  hospitals  in  the 
city,  Dr.  Stout's  and  Dr.  Shuler's  being  the  most 
largely  patronized ;  and  the  French  citizens  have 
built  one.  that  will  accommodate  perhaps  one  hun 
dred  patients,  on  some  kind  of  a  joint  stock  principle, 
by  which  each  subscriber  is  entitled  to  its  privileges. 


242  CALIFOKNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTKATED. 

But  the  only  permanent  public  building  of  this 
kind  in  the  city  is  the  UNITED  STATES  MARINE  HOS 
PITAL.  It  is  located  on  Rincon  Point,  on  an  eleva 
tion  affording  a  grand  view  of  the  city  and  bay  of 
San  Francisco,  the  Contra  Costa  valleys  and  hills, 
and  the  coast  range  mountains.  The  city  authorities 
conveyed  to  the  United  States  six  fifty  vara  lots, 
each  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven  and  a  half  feet 
square,  as  a  site  for  the  institution,  and  it  was  built 
by  United  States  authority  at  a  cost  of  two  hundred 
and  twenty  thousand  dollars,  appropriated  from  a 
fund  created  by  a  tax  on  all  American  sailors,  of 
twenty-five  cents  per  month,  which  shipmasters  are 
required  to  deduct  from  their  wrages,  and  pay  at  the 
custom-house. 

In  return  for  this  tax  every  sailor  belonging  to 
American  vessels  is  entitled,  in  case  of  illness,  to  a 
certificate  from  the  collector  of  the  port,  for  admis 
sion  into  the  hospital  which  has  been  built,  and  is 
furnished  and  supported  by  his  money,  so  that  he 
enters  not  as  a  charity  patient,  but  as  one  of  the 
owners  of  the  institution.  The  United  States  Marine 
Hospital  in  San  Francisco  will  accommodate  com 
fortably  about  five  hundred  patients,  and  is  kept  in 
the  most  perfect  order;  the  floors,  furniture,  and 
everything  almost  as  neat  and  clean  as  a  new  dollar. 

There  is  no  regular  chaplain  in  this  hospital,  but  I 
introduced  regular  religious  services  there  on  Sab- 


UNITED     STATES     MAHINE     HOSPITAL. 


HOSPITAL    REMINISCENCES.  245 

bath  soon  after  it  was  built,  which  I  kept  up  during 
most  of  my  subsequent  stay  in  California  ;  and  which 
are  still  kept  up  by  local  preachers,  exhorters,  and 
occasional  visits  from  regular  pastors. 

My  first  preaching  appointment  there  is  thus  noted 
in  my  journal : 

"Monday,  December  26,  1853.— When  at  the 
United  States  Marine  Hospital  last  week,  I  made  an 
arrangement  with  Dr.  M'Millen,  the  resident  physi 
cian,  to  have  preaching  there  at  nine  o'clock  every 
Sunday  morning.  The  doctor  was  very  cordial  in  his 
affirmative  response  to  my  proposition,  and  gave  me 
choice  of  any  room  in  the  house.  The  dining-room 
being  a  very  popular  room  with  the  convalescing 
sailors,  convenient,  easy  of  access,  very  clean,  and 
well  provided  with  seats,  I  selected  that  as  the 
preaching-place,  where  the  bread  of  life  should  be 
dispensed  to  hungry  souls  without  money  and  without 
price.  I  accordingly  went  up  yesterday  morning, 
and  found  my  chapel,  the  dining-room,  in  order,  and 
at  the  ringing  of  the  breakfast-bell  the  congrega 
tion  assembled.  At  this  time  there  are  but  about 
seventy  patients  there,  and  many  of  them  are  unable 
to  leave  their  rooms;  but  we  had  an  audience  of 
thirty-five  men  of  the  sea,  who  listened  with  great 
attention,  and  many  of  them  with  tears,  to  a  discourse 
from:  'O  wretched  man  that  I  am!  who  shall  de 
liver  me  from  the  body  of  this  death?'  There  was 


246  CALIFOENIA  LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

evidently  a  gracious  influence  felt  by  all  on  the 
occasion,  and  I  am  much  pleased  with  the  prospect 
of  good  at  that  appointment,  by  the  Lord's  help." 

Those  who  were  unable  to  attend  preaching  I  visited 
in  their  wards,  and  sung,  and  prayed,  and  talked  to 
them ;  but  my  ward  visits  were  generally  during  the 
week.  I  had  been  preaching  very  frequently  in  the 
City  Hospital  for  several  years  prior  to  the  opening 
of  the  United  States  Marine  Hospital;  but  subse 
quently,  while  I  continued  my  visits  to  the  former 
through  the  week,  I  continued  to  preach  only  in  the 
latter.  A  carpenter,  by  the  name  of  J.  H.  Perry, 
employed  as  one  of  the  hands  in  the  erection  of  this 
magnificent  building.,  embraced  religion  while  at 
work  up  in  the  fourth  story,  and  joined  our  Bethel 
Society,  and  became  a  very  consistent  Christian.  If 
my  space  permitted  it  I  might  here  record  many 
incidents,  and  some  hopeful  conversions,  among  sea 
men,  coming  under  my  observation  in  connection 
with  my  visits  to  this  noble  institution. 


EXTENT  AND  RESOURCES  OF  CALIFORNIA.       24? 


CHAPTER  IX. 

EXTENT   AND    RESOURCES    OF   CALIFORNIA. 

WHEN  I  set  sail  for  California  in  the  spring  of 
1849,  the  prevailing  idea  among  the  people  generally 
seemed  to  be,  that  California  was  a  small  peninsula 
on  the  Pacific  coast,  a  place  of  but  little  importance, 
except  for  the  gold  diggings  which  had  been  dis 
covered  there,  which  would  be  worked  out  in  a  few 
years,  and  then  the  country  would  be  abandoned  to 
the  Indians  and  wolves ;  that  everybody  lived  in 
San  Francisco,  and  worked  in  the  mines  near  by. 
I  carried  a  large  package  of  letters  round  Cape  Horn, 
the  writers  of  them  believing  that  though  the  con 
veyance  did  not  belong  to  the  fast  line,  it  was,  never 
theless,  the  most  reliable,  as  I  would  be  certain  to 
meet  all  their  California  friends  on  my  arrival  in 
San  Francisco. 

The  emigration  of  1849,  though  they  found  Califor 
nia  an  astonishingly  large  country,  yet  arriving  there 
in  the  dry  season,  they  regarded  the  entire  territory, 
except  a  few  irrigated  garden  spots,  as  a  vast  barren 
desert.  But  few  persons,  even  after  a  sojourn  of  two 

15 


248  CALIFORNIA    LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

years  there,  could  believe  that  California  soil  would 
produce  grain  or  vegetables  without  irrigation.  But 
few  had  faith  enough  to  put  the  question  to  a  prac 
tical  test,  and  it  was  not  until  a  few  hopeful,  adven 
turous  farmers,  who  were  willing  to  hazard  their 
money  and  their  reputation  for  soundness  of  mind, 
had  made  a  fortune  out  of  the  products  of  their 
unirrigated  fields,  that  the  mass  of  the  people  were 
gradually  led  to  change  their  views. 

The  potato-growing  fever  then  set  in,  and  raged 
like  the  gold  mania.  Hundreds  of  thousands  of  dol 
lars  were  invested  in  the  potato-crop.  Fifteen  cents 
per  pound  were  paid  for  seed  potatoes,  and  one  hun 
dred  dollars  per  month  paid  each  man  to  fence  and 
prepare  the  land  and  attend  to  the  crop.  The  result 
was  that  the  markets  were  glutted,  the  price  of  pota 
toes  went  down  to  the  cost  value  of  the  sacks  that  con 
tained  them,  and  hundreds  of  thousands  of  tons  of  the 
finest  potatoes  in  the  world,  dug  and  gathered  into 
large  cribs,  lay  and  rotted,  creating  such  a  nuisance 
that  it  was  feared  'that  they  would  breed  a  pestilence 
in  some  localities.  A  friend  of  mine  offered  a  man 
his  crop  if  lie  would  take  them  away.  "  O,"  replied 
the  man,  "  I  can  do  better  than  that ;  I  can  get  them 
on  the  same  terms  nearer  -home,  and  save  the  freight." 
Another  friend  of  mine  lost  fifty  thousand  dollars  on 
a  single  crop.  Some  poor  fellows  paid  very  dear  for 
the  experience,  but  it  convinced  the  people  that 


EXTENT  AND  BESOUKCES  OF  CALIFOKNIA.     249 

the  great  California  desert  was  more  productive  than 
any  fruitful  land  they  had  ever  seen.  No  Californian 
now  doubts  that  the  agricultural  resources  of  the 
country  are  immense  beyond  adequate  computation, 
but  I  find  masses  of  persons  on  the  Atlantic  side 
who  have  very  limited  views  of  California,  both  in 
regard  to  the  extent  of  her  domain,  and  her  exhaust- 
less  resources.  Many  persons,  whose  views  are  based 
on  a  mere  glance  at  statistical  exhibits,  remind  me 
of  a  school-boy  in  Lexington,  Yirginia.  He  was 
regarded  as  a  great  proficient  in  the  study  of  geog 
raphy;  always  "  stood  head  in  his  class."  During 
vacation  he  made  a  visit  to  Staunton,  a  distance  of 
thirty-five  miles,  to  see  his  aunt.  On  his  return  his 
associates  hailed  him  :  "  Halloo,  John !  how  did  you 
like  your  visit  to  Staunton  ?"  "  O,  I  was  perfectly 
delighted  !  I  had  no  idea  that  the  world  was  so  big." 

That  portion  of  the  little  peninsula  we  used  to 
trace,  in  school-boy  days,  on  the  map  of  the  Pacific 
coast,  and  spell  out  its  hard  name,  "  Californy,"  em 
braced  in  the  State  of  California,  extends  along  the 
coast  from  32°  40'  13"  to  41°  44'  41",  north  latitude, 
embracing  a  coast  line,  from  San  Diego  to  Crescent 
City,  of  about  seven  hundred  miles,  with  an  average 
width  back  to  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  of 
about  two  hundred  miles. 

The  total  area  of  the  state,  including  lakes,  bays, 
and  precipitous  mountains,  is  carefully  estimated  at 


250  CALIFOKKEA   LIFE   ILLUSTKATED. 

ninty-nine  millions,  four  hundred  and  sixty-three 
thousand,  six  hundred  and  eighty  acres.  To  form  a 
comparative  idea  of  the  extent  of  such  a  patch  of 
land,  take  the  states  of  Maine,  Vermont,  New-Hamp 
shire,  Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  Rhode  Island, 
New- York,  Pennsylvania,  New- Jersey,  Delaware, 
and  Maryland,  and  spread  them  all  out  together  on 
the  broad  bosom  of  California,  and  they  will  leave 
an  uncovered  margin  of  thirteen  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  seventy-four  square  miles.  This  surplus 
margin  might  be  divided  up  into  ten  such  states  as 
Rhode  Island,  and  still  you  would  have  one  hundred 
and  seventy-four  square  miles  left,  which  you  might 
appropriate  for  "  Indian  reservations." 

The  amount  of  land  in  the  State  of  California, 
adapted  to  the  purposes  of  agriculture  is  estimated 
at  forty-one  millions,  six  hundred  and  twenty-two 
thousand,  and  four  hundred  acres,  exclusive  of  the 
swamp  and  overflowed  lands,  estimated  at  five  mil 
lions,  which,  when  reclaimed,  will  produce  every 
variety  of  crops.  The  amount  of  grazing  land  is 
estimated  at  thirty  millions  of  acres,  making  a  total 
of  seventy-six  millions,  six  hundred  and  twenty-two 
thousand  acres  of  land,  suitable  for  agricultural  and 
stock-raising  purposes.  The  amount  of  land  inclosed 
for  agricultural  purposes  is  about  six  hundred  and 
twenty-eight  thousand  acres. 

The  area  of  gold  mining  land  is  variously  estima- 


EXTENT    AND    RESOURCES  OF    CALIFORNIA.    251 

ted  at  from  eleven  to  fifteen  millions  of  acres ;  sup 
pose  we  say  in  definite  numbers  twelve  millions ; 
which,  added  to  the  agricultural  and  grazing  portions 
just  named,  would  make  an  aggregate  of  eighty-eight 
millions,  six  hundred  and  twenty-two  thousand  four 
hundred  acres  of  productive  land  in  the  State  of  Cali 
fornia,  leaving  ten  millions  eight  hundred  and  forty- 
one  thousand  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  for  the 
accommodation  of  grizzly  bears  and  California  lions. 
"In  the  year  1856  there  were  578,963  acres  in  Cal 
ifornia  cultivated  in  cereal  grain.  Wheat,  176,963 
acres,  yielding  3,979,032  bushels.  Barley,  151,671 
acres,  yielding  4,639,678  bushels.  Oats,  37,602  acres, 
yielding  1,263,359  bushels.  The  average  yield  of 
wheat  in  1856  was  twenty-three  bushels  per  acre, 
which,  owing  to  the  severe  drought  of  the  early  part  of 
the  season,  was  much  less  than  that  of  previous  years. 
The  ordinary  average  is  about  thirty  bushels  per 
acre,  taking  the  crop  of  the  entire  state  together. 
The  average  yield  of  barley  is  thirty  bushels  per 
acre.  It  frequently  yields  from  fifty  to  seventy- 
five  bushels  per  acre.  The  average  yield  of  the  oat 
crop  is  thirty-three  bushels  per  acre.  Crops  of  this 
grain  have  frequently  averaged  seventy-five  bushels 
per  acre ;  and  a  crop  of  thirty-two  acres  in  Alameda 
County,  which  received  a  premium  at  the  State  Agri 
cultural  fair  for  1856,  averaged  one  hundred  and 
thirty-four  bushels  to  the  acre," 


252  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

One  peculiarity  in  California  grain  growing  is,  that 
two  or  three  crops  are  generally  raised  from  one  sow 
ing.  After  the  first  crop  is  harvested,  and  the  field 
gleaned  by  the  hogs,  it  is  then  closed  up,  generally 
without  a  replowing,  or  anything,  till  the  next  har 
vest-time,  when  a  better  crop  is  sometimes  gathered 
than  the  first.  In  case  of  severe  drought  the  second 
crop  is  the  most  reliable,  from  the  fact  that  it  takes 
root  with  the  first  fall  rains  before  seeding-time  com 
mences,  and  comes  earlier  to  the  harvest. 

The  visiting  committee  of  the  California  Agricul 
tural  Society,  in  their  report  for  the  year  1856,  have 
the  following  notice  of  a  field  of  barley :  "  Near 
Alviso,  Santa  Clara  County,  there  is  a  field  of  barley, 
fifty  acres  in  extent,  which  has  averaged  the  present 
season  forty-three  bushels  to  the  acre.  This  is  the 
fifth  crop  from  a  single  sowing;  it  has  received  no 
special  care,  and  may  be  regarded  as  a  memorable 
example  of  a  succession  of  volunteer  crops."  Two 
crops  are  almost  invariably  expected  from  one  sow 
ing  ;  the  third  is  not  generally  relied  on. 

"  The  returns  from  thirty-four  counties  of  the  state 
exhibit  the  crop  of  Indian  corn,  of  1856,  at  11,020 
acres,  averaging  for  the  entire  crop  thirty  one  bush 
els  per  acre.  Rye  averages  about  thirty  bushels  per 
acre.  Buckwheat  about  twenty-five  bushels  per 
acre.  Beans  average  about  thirty  bushels  per  acre, 
and  peas  twenty-eight.  The  number  of  acres  planted 


EXTENT    AND    KE30UKCES    OF  CALIFORNIA.    253 

in  potatoes  in  the  year  1856,  are  sixteen  thousand 
four  hundred  and  thirty-four,  averaging,  in  Alameda 
County,  seventy  bushels ;  Sacramento,  one  hun 
dred  ;  San  Joaquin,  two  hundred ;  Siskiyou,  one 
hundred ;  and  Trinity,  three  hundred  bushels  per 
acre. 

"  The  returns  of  twenty-two  counties  exhibit  four 
teen  thousand  seven  hundred  and  three  acres  planted 
with  vegetables.  It  is  probable  that  the  remaining 
counties  will  increase  this  amount  to  about  forty-five 
thousand  acres." 

Some  rare  specimens  of  vegetables  and  fruit  were 
exhibited  at  the  State  Agricultural  Fair  of  1856.  I 
saw  them  myself,  and  have  no  doubt  as  to  the  cor 
rectness  of  the  published  statements  in  regard  to 
them.  There  were  exhibited  "  two  pumpkins  from 
Sacramento,  weighing  two  hundred  and  ten,  and  two 
hundred  and  forty  pounds."  Those  were  "some 
punkins"  were  they  not? 

A  beet,  grown  by  Colonel  Hall,  of  Sacramento 
City,  weighing  seventy-three  pounds ;  a  carrot, 
weighing  ten  pounds,  measuring  one  foot  and  eight 
inches  in  circumference,  and  three  feet  and  three 
inches  in  length.  There  were  fifty  in  the  same  bed  of 
equal  size.  The  seeds  were  sown  on  June  25th,  and 
the  carrots  dug  September  20th.  A  tomato,  seven 
teen  inches  in  circumference ;  a  squash,  weighing 
one  hundred  and  forty-one  pounds ;  an  onion,  weigh- 


254  CALIFOBNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTKATED. 

ing  two  pounds  and  fifteen  ounces,  and  measuring 
twenty  inches  in  circumference ;  a  cornstalk,  twenty- 
one  feet  and  nine  inches  in  height;  watermelons, 
from  near  Nevada,  twenty-seven  gave  an  aggregate 
of  five  hundred  and  fifty  pounds ;  a  sweet  potato, 
from  San  Jose*,  weighing  eleven  pounds  and  two 
ounces;  an  Irish  potato,  from  Bodega,  weighing 
seven  and  a  quarter  pounds ;  a  bunch  of  potatoes,  of 
the  Oregon  red  variety,  from  a  single  eye,  weighing 
ten  pounds." 

I  would  here  remark  that  in  California  the  best 
potatoes  are  selected  for  seed,  cut  up  carefully,  and 
but  one  eye  put  in  a  hill. 

"Grapes,  several  bunches,  weighing  over  four 
pounds  each ;  a  citron  lemon,  sixteen  and  a  half  by 
eighteen  and  three  quarter  inches  in  circumference, 
weighing  two  pounds  and  fourteen  ounces,  from  Los 
Angeles ;  fig-tree,  a  slip  one  foot  in  length,  and  five 
eighths  of  an  inch  in  thickness,  was  planted  April  1st, 
and  in  the  month  of  September  following  was  eleven 
feet  and  six  inches  high,  and  nine  and  a  quarter 
inches  in  circumference  at  the  base,  with  a  corre 
sponding  growth  of  branches ;  peach-trees,  in  twenty- 
eight  months  from  the  planting  of  the  seed,  bore 
fruit  over  nine  inches  in  circumference,  and  weigh 
ing  from  seven  to  eight  and  a  half  ounces;  there 
were  thirty-four  of  these  large  peaches  on  one  tree ; 
an  apple,  measuring  fifteen  and  one  third  inches  in 


EXTENT  AND  RESOURCES  OF  CALIFORNIA.       255 

circumference  each  way,  weighing  twenty- three 
ounces,  grown  in  the  Yamhill  Orchard." 

Those  large  apples  are  called  "Gloria  Mundi." 
Soon  after  their  first  appearance  in  the  San  Fran 
cisco  markets  I  bought  one  of  them  for  three  dollars. 
I  felt  a  little  conscience-stricken  for  paying  that 
much  for  one  apple ;  but  Mrs.  Taylor  was  in  very 
delicate  health  at  that  time,  and  a  little  discouraged, 
so  I  thought  that  the  sight  of  such  a  specimen  of  the 
"  fruits  of  the  land  "  would  do  her  more  good,  and 
be  cheaper  than  a  doctor's  prescription.  I  believed 
we  would  get  at  least  three  dollars'  worth  of  hope 
out  of  it,  and  then  the  apple  itself  would  be  clear 
gain,  which  would  not  be,  upon  the  whole,  a  bad 
speculation. 

Brother  Owen  and  I  were  looking  at  some  of  those 
great  apples  one  day,  and  the  price  seemed  to  take 
Owen  aback.  After  expressing  his  surprise,  said  he 
to  the  fruit- vender : 

"  How  much  will  you  charge  me  for  the  privilege 
of  smelling  one  of  them  ?" 

"  Nothing  at  all,  sir,"  replied  the  fruit  man. 

"  O  that  is  very  reasonable,  indeed,"  answered 
Owen.  "  I'll  not  buy  any  now,  but  will  take  a  little 
of  the  odor." 

Hay  is  cut  by  the  hundred  thousand  tons  from  the 
spontaneous  growth  of  grass,  clover,  and  wild  oats, 
on  the  hills  and  valleys. 


256  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

The  sales  of  butter,  cheese,  and  poultry  in  Sonoma 
County  alone,  during  the  season  of  1856,  are  esti 
mated  at  five  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

The  soil  of  California,  as  proved  by  successful 
experiment,  is  well  adapted  to  the  production  of 
cotton,  tobacco,  sugar-cane,  sugar-beet,  and  mul 
berry  ;  and  it  is  believed  that  rice  will  grow  as  well 
on  her  marsh  lands  as  in  China. 

California  is  also  destined  to  become  one  of  the 
greatest  fruit-growing  countries  in  the  world,  and 
great  attention  is  being  given  to  the  cultivation  of 
the  best  varieties. 

"There  are  now  growing  in  the  orchards  of  the 
state  three  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  five  hun 
dred  apple-trees  ;  six  hundred  and  nineteen  thousand 
nine  hundred  and  ninety-three  peach-trees ;  fifty- 
nine  thousand  one  hundred  and  seventy-one  pear- 
trees  ;  twenty -five  thousand  two  hundred  and  sixty- 
four  cherry-trees ;  two  hundred  and  seventy-one 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty-five  of  varieties 
not  specified;  and  one  million  five  hundred  and 
thirty-one  thousand  two  hundred  and  twenty-four 
grape-vines." 

There  are  but  few  countries  so  well  adapted  to 
stock  raising  of  every  kind  as  California.  The  val 
leys,  and  hills,  and  mountains  are  covered  with  grass 
and  wild  oats,  and  where  stock  can  have  free  access 
to  the  range  they  will  thrive  the  whole  year  without 


NEW    WORLD    MARKET,    CORNER    OF    COMMERCIAL    AND    LEIDSDORFF    STREETS 


EXTENT  AND  RESOURCES   OF  CALIFORNIA.       259 

being  fed.  The  only  period  in  the  year  when  they 
are  likely  to  suffer  at  all,  is  about  one  month,  begin 
ning  with  the  first  fall  rains.  The  grass  matures  and 
dries  on  the  ground,  and  remains  good  hay  during 
the  dry  season,  but  is  spoiled  by  the  first  rains ;  then, 
until  the  new  grass  is  up,  which  is  but  a  few  weeks, 
the  pasturage  is  not  good. 

The  census  returns  of  1856  make  the  following 
exhibit  of  live  stock  in  California  : 

"  One  hundred  and  six  thousand  nine  hundred 
and  ninety-one  horses ;  thirty  thousand  six  hundred 
and  forty-one  mules  and  asses ;  six  hundred  and 
eighty-four  thousand  two  hundred  and  forty-eight 
cattle ;  two  hundred  and  fifty -three  thousand  three 
hundred  and  twelve  sheep ;  four  thousand  five  hun 
dred  and  forty -four  goats ;  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
six  thousand  five  hundred  and  eighty-five  swine  ; 
two  hundred  and  sixty-six  thousand  three  hundred 
and  thirty-six  poultry." 

"Wild  game  and  fowl  abound  in  California;  elk, 
deer,  grizzly  bears,  etc.,  wild  geese,  brants,  duck,  etc., 
by  the  hundred  million. 

Fisheries  are  becoming  a  fruitful  product  of  the 
California  coast.  "  A  company  of  Portuguese  in  Mont 
erey  have  gone  into  the  whale  fishery  along  the  coast, 
and  have  taken  from  whales  which  they  have  cap 
tured  since  March,  1856,  say  eight  months,  sixteen 
thousand  gallons  of  oil,  which  were  sold  for  twelve 
thousand  dollars." 


260  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

"Salmon  fisheries  are  carried  on  upon  the  Sacra 
mento  River  for  a  distance  of  fifty  miles,  extending 
south  from  a  point  ten  miles  north  of  Sacramento 
City.  The  season  embraces  five  months,  from  Feb 
ruary  to  April,  and  from  October  to  November,  in 
clusive,  of  each  year.  There  are  about  four  hundred 
men  engaged  in  this  business,  employing  a  capital  of 
seventy-five  thousand  dollars.  The  number  of  sal 
mon  taken  during  the  season  of  1856  was  estimated 
at  four  hundred  and  fifty  thousand,  nearly  four  thou 
sand  per  day.  The  average  weight  is  about  fifteen 
pounds  each,  amounting  in  the  aggregate  to  six  mill 
ion  seven  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  pounds,  which, 
at  twelve  and  a  half  cents  per  pound,  the  average 
price  of  the  sales  throughout  the  year,  amounts  to 
eighty-four  thousand  three  hundred  and  seventy-five 
dollars.  There  are  several  establishments  at  Sacra 
mento  engaged  in  the  salting,  smoking,  and  pack 
ing  of  these  fish  for  home  consumption,  and  to  supply 
the  demand  from  abroad." 

The  bays  and  rivers  abound  in  sturgeon  and  other 
fish  in  almost  endless  variety. 

The  lumber  business  is  carried  on  extensively. 
Timber  is  not  well  distributed  through  the  agricultural 
regions  of  the  state  ;  there  are  millions  of  acres,  not 
only  in  the  valleys,  but  on  hills  and  mountains,  with 
out  a  tree  or  sapling  ;  one  vast  meadow  with  a  heavy 
growth  of  grass  and  wild  oats  just  ready  for  the 


EXTENT  AND  RESOURCES  OF  CALIFORNIA.       261 

plow,  without  even  the  obstruction  of  a  stone  ;  hut 
the  farmer  is  dependent  for  fencing  and  fuel  on  other 
regions  not  quite  so  good  for  agriculture,  so  that  the 
"independent  farmer"  has  to  make  terms  with  the 
independent  woodsman  of  the  mountains.  There  is 
an  inexhaustible  supply  of  timber  in  the  Sierra  Nev 
ada  and  coast  range  mountains,  and  much  of  it  the 
heaviest  timber  ever  seen  since  the  flood. 

"  The  product  of  lumber  in  several  counties  forms 
an  important  part  of  their  resources.  In  Tuolumne 
County  alone  the  sales  are  estimated  to  exceed  eight 
hundred  thousand  dollars  per  annum.  The  number 
of  mills  in  the  state  is  three  hundred  and  seventy- 
three,  of  which  one  hundred  and  seventy  are  pro 
pelled  by  steam,  and  two  hundred  and  two  by  water. 
Cost  of  erection  estimated  at  two  and  a  half  millions 
of  dollars.  Aggregate  capacity  is  about  five  hundred 
millions  of  feet  per  year." 

"In  addition  to  the  above,  there  are  several  mills  in 
San  Francisco  and  Sacramento  employed  in  the  saw 
ing  and  dressjng  of  lumber.  The  exports  of  lumber 
for  1854,  1855,  1856,  amounted  in  the  aggregate  to 
one  hundred  and  ninety  thousand  and  twenty-six 
dollars." 

"  The  number  of  grist-mills  in  the  state  is  one 
hundred  and  thirty-one.  The  aggregate  run  of  stone 
two  hundred  and  seventy.  Sixty-seven  mills  are 
propelled  by  steam,  arid  fifty-four  by  water.  The 


262  CALIFORNIA    LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

aggregate  capacity  per  day  of  the  water-mills  is 
three  thousand  five  hundred  and  fifty-two  barrels; 
of  the  steam,  five  thousand  two  hundred  and  forty. 
Estimating  the  water-mills  to  be  in  operation  six 
months  of  the  year,  and  the  aggregate  capacity  of 
the  mills  of  the  state  is  two  million  one  hundred  and 
seventy-four  thousand  nine  hundred  and  sixty  barrels 
per  annum.  The  capacity  of  the  mills  of  Sacramento, 
San  Francisco,  San  Joaquin,  and  Santa  Clara,  is  one 
million  two  hundred  thousand  barrels  of  flour  per 
annum ;  twice  the  quantity  necessary  to  supply  the 
entire  population  of  the  state.  The  cost  of  the  erec 
tion  of  the  above  mills  is  estimated  at  two  million 
four  hundred  thousand  dollars."  There  are  various 
other  manufactories  in  the  state. 

The  San  Francisco  Sugar  Refinery,  employing  one 
hundred  and  fifty  hands. 

San  Francisco  Cordage  and  Oakum  Manufactory, 
in  successful  operation.  The  buildings  connected 
with  the  works  are  of  the  most  extensive  and  perma 
nent  character. 

Pioneer  Paper-Mill,  thirty  miles  from  San  Fran 
cisco,  in  Marin  County,  with  a  capacity  to  turn  off 
fourteen  and  a  half  tons  per  week.  The  cost  of 
the  establishment,  complete,  is  about  ninety-two 
thousand  dollars." 

"There  are  fourteen  iron  founderies  at  present  in 
operation  in  the  state,  several  of  which  are  of  an 


EXTENT  AND  EESOURCES  OF    CALIEOENIA.       263 

extensive  character,  and  well  supplied  with  all  the 
appliances  necessary  for  the  manufacture  of  machin 
ery  of  the  heaviest  description." 

There  are  eighteen  Tanneries  at  present  in  the 
state,  employing  capital  to  the  amount  of  ninety-four 
thousand  dollars. 

The  amount  of  capital  employed  by  the  different 
ferries  of  the  state  is  estimated  at  three  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  This  amount  does  not  include  the 
cost  of  the  steamers  employed  on  the  Sacramento  and 
San  Joaquin  Rivers.  There  are  one  hundred  and 
seventeen  bridges  constructed,  the  aggregate  cost  of 
which  is  about  five  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
dollars." 

Ship-building  is  becoming  quite  an  important 
branch  of  business  in  San  Francisco. 

There  are  distilleries  enough  in  the  state  to  produce 
a  stream  of  liquid  fire  sufficient  in  volume  and  venom 
to  kill  all  the  people  in  it,  the  producers  included. 
The  limits  of  this  work  will  not  allow  me  to  give  a 
more  definite  and  detailed  account  of  the  various 
manufactories  above  referred  to,  nor  an  enumeration 
of  many  others  worthy  of  notice. 

The  mineral  products  of  California,  so  far  as  re 
ported  by  the  state  geologist,  Dr.  Trask,  are,  in  addi 
tion  to  that  of  gold,  of  which  the  world  in  general  has 
been  notified,  as  follows:  Silver,  copper,  iron,  sulphate 
of  iron,  magnetic  iron,  platinum,  chromium,  (the  fine 


264  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

chrome  yellow,  so  highly  prized,  is  manufactured 
from  this  mineral,)  gypsum,  nickel,  (a  metal  extens 
ively  used  in  the  manufacture  of  German  silver,  for 
wares  and  household  utensils,)  antimony,  cinnabar, 
or  quicksilver.  New-Almaden  mine,  in  Santa  Clara 
County,  is  believed  to  be  the  richest  in  the  world, 
yielding  at  this  time  about  twelve  thousand  pounds 
per  week. 

Bitumen  is  found  in  large  quantities  in  the  south 
ern  part  of  the  state.  "  There  cannot  be  less  than 
four  thousand  tons  of  asphaltum  lying  upon  the  sur 
face  of  the  ground  in  the  Counties  of  Los  Angeles 
and  Santa  Barbara  alone,  within  a  few  miles  of  the 
coast.  Its  value,  delivered  in  San  Francisco,  would 
not  be  less  than  sixteen  dollars  per  ton,  equal  in 
value  to  sixty-four  thousand  dollars."  Nothing  has 
been  clone  in  this  line  of  business  as  yet,  for  the 
reason,  I  suppose,  that  induced  Kobert  Sears,  a 
friend  of  mine,  to  give  up  the  lime-making  business. 
Robert  spent  a  year  in  the  manufacture  of  lime  in 
Santa  Cruz,  and  sent  a  large  shipment,  the  result  of 
his  year's  toil,  of  as  good  lime  as  ever  was  produced, 
to  San  Francisco.  He  came  up  in  company  with  me, 
from  one  of  rny  Santa  Cruz  trips,  to  San  Francisco, 
full  of  hope,  to  draw  his  money,  but,  alas  for  poor 
Bob !  the  money-market  was  overstocked,  and  all 
the  lime  he  had  would  pay  but  about  half  his  freight 
bill.  He  immediately  left  for  the  mines,  believing 


SUTTER'S    MILL. 


EXTENT  AND    BESOUECES  OF  CALIFOKNIA.    267 

that  if  he  could  produce  gold  instead  of  lime,  he 
would  be  sure  of  his  money. 

Coal  is  found  in  abundance,  and  exhaustless  stores 
of  marble,  granite,  and  burr-stones.  These  are  all 
regarded  as  sources  of  mineral  wealth  to  the  state, 
most  of  which  are  yet  undeveloped,  quicksilver  and 
gold  being  the  only  two  which  have  attracted  much 
attention.  Gold  is  the  staple  of  the  country.  Its 
discovery  was  made  by  James  W.  Marshall,  in 
Coloma  Valley,  about  sixty  miles  east  of  Sacramento 
City,  in  the  month  of  January,  1848.  This  gold 
discovery  was  not  subsequent  to  the  treaty  by 
which  California  was  ceded  to  the  United  States,  as 
has  been  asserted  in  my  hearing,  by  men  in  high 
position,  the  said  treaty  not  taking  effect  till  the 
30th  of  May,  1848  ;  but  the  treaty  was  made  before 
the  news  of  the  gold  reached  the  treaty-making 
parties.  Marshall  was  employed  by  Captain  Sutter, 
to  build  a  saw-mill.  In  the  prosecution  of  his  work 
he  turned  a  stream  of  water  from  the  river  into  the 
tail-race,  for  the  purpose  of  widening  and  deepening 
it  by  the  strength  of  the  current.  After  the  water 
was  shut  off  Marshall  saw,  at  the  foot  of  the  race, 
some  shining  yellow  stuff,  which  had  been  washed 
out  and  exposed  to  view  by  the  action  of  the  water, 
and  gathering  a  handful  of  it,  he  ran  away  and  told 
his  employer.  The  echoes  of  his  voice  shook  the 
world,  and  all  nations  responded  to  his  thrilling 
16 


268  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

story,  and  sent  their  sons  to  assist  him  in  digging  his 
tail-race. 

"The  amount  of  treasure  manifested  at  the  port  of 
San  Francisco  from  1849  to  the  close  of  1856,  is 
three  hundred  and  twenty-two  millions,  three  hun 
dred  and  ninety-three  thousand,  eight  hundred  and 
fifty-six  dollars ;"  but  besides  that  amount,  millions 
have  been  carried  away  in  private  hands.  I  remem 
ber,  a  few  years  ago,  a  party  of  returning  Californi- 
ans,  in  being  conveyed  in  a  boat  from  the  landing  to 
the  steamer  in  Virgin  Bay,  were  capsized,  and  many 
of  them  sunk  like  lead,  with  the  weight  of  the  gold 
belted  about  their  persons ;  while  their  poor  brothers, 
who,  perhaps,  had  no  gold  to  carry,  were  picked  up 
and  saved.  A  lucky  miner  once  fell  into  the  San 
Juan  River,  and  finding  that  his  bag  of  gold  was 
too  heavy  for  his  body,  he  took  it  off,  and  clenched 
it  in  his  teeth,  but  it  immediately  put  his  head 
under  water,  so  he  let  go  the  hard  earnings  of 
years,  and  by  the  greatest  exertions  saved  his  life ; 
according  to  the  devil's  scripture,  "  Skin  for  skin, 
yea,  all  that  a  man  hath  will  he  give  for  his  life." 
Job  ii,  4. 

From  the  best  available  sources  of  information,  it 
is  estimated  that  the  California  gold  mines  have 
yielded,  within  the  period  above  specified,  "  nearly 
six  hundred  millions  of  dollars" 

There  are  various  modes  of  mining,  some  of  the 


EXTENT  AND    EESOUKCES  OF  CALIFORNA.    2 69 

most  prominent  of  which  I  will  mention.  Early 
miners  in  California  confined  their  operations  almost 
exclusively  to  surface  diggings  along  the  banks  of 
the  water-courses,  or  sufficiently  near  to  be  hauled 
to  the  streams  for  washing.  At  present  deep  dig 
gings,  by  means  of  "  shafts  "  and  "  tunnels,"  into  the 
hearts  of  the  hills  and  mountains,  are  carried  on  very 
extensively.  This  mode  requires  capital,  but  is 
much  more  permanent  and  productive  than  surface 
digging.  These  drifts  or  adits  are  seldom  less  than 
three  hundred  feet  in  length,  and  generally  range 
from  ten  to  twelve  hundred  feet,  and  many  of  them 
large  enough  to  use  a  horse  within  for  carrying  the 
"  pay  dirt"  to  the  sluices  without. 

Dr.  Trask,  state  geologist,  gives  the  following 
specimens  of  cost  and  profits  of  some  successful 
operations  of  this  kind  : 

"The  cost  of  opening  the  Mameluke  hill,  near 
Georgetown,  by  the  parties  interested,  exceeded 
forty  thousand  dollars,  while  the  receipts  for  the 
same,  during  the  period  of  little  more  than  one  year, 
has  exceeded  five  hundred  thousand.  Another  case 
is  that  of  Jones's  Hill,  the  opening  of  which  has 
already  cost  above  thirty-four  thousand  dollars,  the 
receipts  being  above  two  hundred  and  eighty-four 
thousand  dollars ;  and  still  another  in  the  County  of 
Nevada,  (Laird's  Hill,)  the  expense  of  opening  which 
was  nearly  forty  thousand  dollars,  while  the  receipts 


270  CALIFOKNIA  LIFE  ILLUSTEATED. 

from  it  in  June  last  had  reached  the  sum  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand ;  the  resources  of 
either  are  as  yet  in  anything  but  an  exhausted 
condition. 

"The  above  is  mentioned  only  for  the  purpose 
of  conveying  a  better  idea  of  the  expenses  and 
profits  of  what  is  denominated  deep  mining  in  this 
state ;  and  the  localities  named  form  but  a  small 
proportion  of  the  aggregate  of  similar  workings.  In 
the  counties  of  Nevada,  Sierra,  Placer,  El  Dorado, 
Amador,  and  Calaveras,  there  are  scores  of  adits  and 
other  workings  of  similar  dimensions,  which  have 
already  cost  sums  varying  in  amount  from  ten 
thousand  dollars  upward  to  the  figures  given  above, 
and  from  which  proportional  profits  have  been 
derived." 

Hiver  diggings  are  carried  on  but  about  six 
months  in  the  year,  while  the  rivers  are  low.  The 
mode  is  to  divert  the  stream  from  its  channel,  so  as 
to  work  the  river  bed.  This  is  done  by  "  wing 
dams,"  so  constructed  as  to  carry  the  stream  all  to 
one  side,  and  open  to  mining  purposes  a  part  of  the 
original  channel ;  but  more  extensively  by  building 
a  dam  across  the  entire  river,  and  by  throwing  the 
whole  stream  into  a  large  "flume,"  constructed  of 
timber  and  plank,  in  size  and  strength  sufficient  to 
carry  the  entire  volume  of  the  river.  I  saw  one  a 
little  below  Downieville,  which  carried  the  whole  of 


EXTENT  AND  RESOUECES  OF  CALIFORNIA.      2Y1 

Yuba  River  for  nearly  half  a  mile.  Along  those 
flames  there  are  a  great  many  water-wheels,  as 
large  as  the  under-shot  wheels  of  grist-mills,  nsed 
for  propelling  various  kinds  of  pumps  for  raising 
and  carrying  off  the  leakage  and  standing  water  in 
the  original  bed  of  the  stream,  and  for  raising  water 
by  means  of  buckets  attached  to  the  wheels,  which 
is  conveyed  in  small  flumes  to  other  mining  locali 
ties  in  the  neighborhood,  and  also  for  pumping  the 
water  out  of  claims  in  the  low  grounds  along  the 
rivers. 

An  immense  flume,  with  its  wheels,  and  pumps, 
and  small  flumes,  together  with  the  hundreds  of  men 
engaged  in  disemboweling  the  bosom  of  the  ancient 
river,  and  dragging  to  light  the  hid  treasures  it  had 
concealed,  it  may  be,  ever  since  the  days  of  Xoah, 
presents  a  very  lively  scene.  All  these  works  are 
generally  swept  away  by  the  high  tides  of  the 
"  former  rains." 

The  great  desire  of  the  miners  to  work  out  their 
claims,  generally  keeps  all  hands  busy  in  getting  out 
the  gold  till  the  floods  come,  and  then  there  is  but 
little  opportunity  left  for  saving  any  fluming  timber 
or  accompanying  appliances.  A  member  of  a  flum 
ing  company  on  the  north  fork  of  Feather  River, 
told  me  that  in  the  summer's  work  they  did  not 
make  enough  to  pay  expenses  till  the  last  fortnight 
of  the  season,  when,  from  beneath  a  single  boulder, 


2^2  CALIFORNIA    LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

they  took  out  thirty  thousand  dollars.  He  showed 
me  the  hole  whence  it  was  dug. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  extent  of  such  operations, 
we  note  the  following : 

"  A  portion  of  Feather  River,  in  the  vicinity  of 
Oraville,  is  at  the  present  time  under  contract  for 
a  distance  of  two  hundred  thousand  feet,  at  an  ex 
pense  of  four  hundred  and  ninety  thousand  dollars." 

Some  idea  of  the  extent  to  which  quartz  mining 
is  carried  on  may  be  gained  by  an  exhibit  of  the 
number  and  cost  of  the  quartz  mills  employed. 
"The  number  of  quartz  mills  in  operation  in  the 
state  is  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight,  of  which 
eighty-six  are  propelled  by  water,  forty-eight  by 
steam,  and  four  by  horse-power.  The  aggregate 
number  of  stamps  connected  with  these  mills  is  fif 
teen  hundred  and  twenty-one.  The  cost  of  machin 
ery  is  estimated  at  one  million  seven  hundred  and 
sixty-three  thousand  dollars." 

The  quartz  rock  is  quarried  out,  broken  up, 
stamped,  and  ground  to  powder,  from  which,  by 
means  of  water  and  quicksilver,  the  gold  dust  is 
extracted. 

Hydraulic  mining  is  also  carried  on  very  extens 
ively.  The  mode  is  to  convey  through  a  canvas 
duck  hose,  a  volume  of  about  twenty  inches  of  water, 
with  a  fall  of  from  thirty  to  three  hundred  feet,  which 
presses  the  water  through  an  iron  or  brass  inch  and  a 


EXTENT   AND    RESOURCES    OF    CALIFORNIA. 

quarter  nozzle,  with  a  force  that  would  knock  a  man 
down.  This  nozzle,  in  the  hands  of  a  miner  who  un 
derstands  his  business,  directs  the  stream  against  the 
side  of  a  mountain  or  hill,  by  which,  in  many  locali 
ties,  he  can  in  one  day  wash  down  a  thousand  cart 
loads  of  dirt.  He  first  directs  the  stream  near  the 
"  bed-rock,"  at  the  base  of  the  hill  he  wishes  to  wash 
down,  and,  by  thus  undermining  it,  causes  a  "  land 
slide."  When  the  foundations  are  thus  swept  away, 
and  the  side  of  a  hill,  with  its  huge  boulders  and 
mighty  trees,  breaks  and  tumbles  with  a  crash  and 
thunder  like  the  roar  of  artillery,  all  hands  have 
to  stand  from  under.  I  witnessed  such  a  crash  one 
day  near  Coon  Hollow,  in  El  Dorado  County,  and 
when  I  saw  and  heard  the  hill  coming  toward  me,  I, 
with  all  the  rest,  beat  a  hurried  retreat ;  when  distant 
about  fifty  yards,  and  increasing  the  distance  as  fast 
as  I  could,  a  stone,  propelled  by  the  force  of  the  fall 
ing  hill,  struck  me  on  the  heel,  and  for  days  I  'halted 
like  wrestling  Jacob.  The  same  water  thus  used  to 
wash  down  the  dirt,  carries  it  through  the  "  sluices," 
and  washes  out  the  gold. 

The  sluices,  which  are  from  twelve  to  eighteen 
inches  deep,  and  as  wide  as  deep,  are  made  of  plank, 
and  extend  in  length  from  one  to  three  hundred 
yards ;  in  the  bottom  of  them  are  cross  bars,  called 
"rifle  boxes/'  to  catch  the  gold,  while  all  the  gross 
material  is  carried  away  by  the  stream.  Along  these 


274  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

sluices  men  are  employed  with  forks  and  shovels, 
breaking  the  clods,  throwing  out  the  large  stones, 
and  otherwise  assisting  the  water  to  disengage  the 
gold  from  the  mass  of  accompanying  matter.  Every 
day  or  two  the  good  time  for  "  cleaning  the  sluices " 
comes,  when  every  variety  of  gold  dust,  and  "  scales," 
and  "grains,"  and  "big  lumps"  are  gathered.  This 
mode  of  mining  pays  largely  in  mining  land  so  poor 
that  a  man,  with  "pick  and  shovel,"  could  not  from 
it  earn  his  salt.  Many  locations  which  have  been 
worked  over  by  other  modes  of  mining,  are  profita 
bly  re-worked  by  this  mode. 

Gold-mining  of  every  description  requires  water, 
and  hence  the  dry  diggings  could  only  be  worked 
during  the  wet  season,  and  the  spring-time  of  dis 
solving  snow,  until,  by  artificial  means,  the  water 
was  conveyed  from  the  rivers  over  high  mountains, 
and  across  deep  canons,  to  those  dry  districts.  The 
vast  extent  of  rich  mining  country  of  this  kind  has 
given  rise  to  a  distinct  department  of  business  in 
mining  operations,  which  furnishes  employment  for 
a  great  many  water  companies,  and  profitable  invest 
ment  for  a  vast  amount  of  money. 

The  extent  of  this  department  of  business  may  be 
illustrated  by  the  following  statistical  exhibit  in 
regard  to  canals  and  ditches:  "There  are  four  thou 
sand  four  hundred  and  five  miles  of  artificial  water 
courses  for  mining  purposes  in  California,  construct- 


EXTENT   AND    RESOURCES    OF    CALIFORNIA.    275 

ed  at  a  cost  of  eleven  million  eight  hundred  and 
ninety  thousand  eight  hundred  dollars.  In  addition 
to  these  there  are  about  nine  hundred  miles  now  in 
the  course  of  construction.  There  are  thousands  of 
square  miles  of  rich  mineral  land  in  the  state,  now 
lying  almost  valueless  for  the  greater  part  of  the 
year,  which  could,  with  the  aid  of  enterprise  and 
capital  judiciously  expended,  be  made  valuable  for 
mining  purposes,  and  thereby  secure  an  abundant 
return." 

It  is  proper  to  add,  that  "  the  progress  already 
made  in  the  construction  of  these  works  has  been, 
with  but  few  exceptions,  accomplished  by  the  miners 
themselves."  If  the  limits  of  this  book  would  admit 
of  it,  I  would  insert  a  great  many  more  facts  and 
incidents  in  regard  to  mining  operations.  The  inform 
ation  contained  in  this  chapter  in  regard  to  the  re 
sources  of  California,  is  compiled  principally  from  the 
official  reports  of  Dr.  Trask,  state  geologist,  and  the 
returns  of  the  state  census  for  the  year  1856.  I  have 
a  number  of  those  reports  and  census  returns  in  my 
possession,  but  I  am  indebted  for  the  compiling  of 
most  of  the  statistics  of  this  chapter,  and  some  re 
marks  in  quotation,  to  "  The  State  Register  and  Year 
Book  of  Facts,  for  the  year  1857,"  a  12mo  volume, 
published  annually  by  Henry  G.  Langley  and  Sam 
uel  A.  Matthews,  of  San  Francisco,  and  James 
Queen,  of  Sacramento  City.  The  Register  is  the 


276  CALIFORNIA    LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

most  complete  collection  of  California  statistics  of 
every  kind  ever  published,  and  I  would  heartily 
commend  it  to  every  man  who  desires  to  study 
California.  I  shall  now  pass  from  the  mines  to  illus 
trate  life  among  the  miners. 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    MINERS. 


CHAPTEK  X. 

LIFE    AMONG    THE    MINERS. 

CALIFORNIA  miners  are  a  hardy,  muscular,  powerful 
class  of  men,  possessing  literally  an  extraordinary 
development  of  hope,  faith,  and  patience,  and  a  cor 
responding  power  of  endurance.  They  have  in  my 
opinion  done  more  hard  work  in  California,  within 
the  last  eight  years,  than  has  ever  been  done  in  any 
country  by  the  same  number  of  men,  in  the  same 
length  of  time,  and  I  think  I  may  safely  say 
double  that  length  of  time,  since  the  world  was 
made. 

All  that  is  necessary  to  convince  any  man  of  the 
truth  of  this  position,  is  for  him  to  travel  through  the 
mines  and  see  what  has  been  done,  in  the  leveling  of 
hills  and  mountains,  filling  up  of  valleys,  the  digging 
of  about  five  thousand  miles  of  ditches  and  canals 
through  mountains  on  mountains  piled,  the  construc 
tion  of  aqueducts  across  deep  canons,  or  gorges,  from 
mountain  to  mountain,  and  the  hundreds  of  acres  of 
"  bed-rock  "  under  the  mountains  they  have  laid  bare, 
and  scraped  and  swept  like  a  ship's  deck.  He  will 


2*78  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

be  struck,  too,  with  the  wonderful  facility  and  force 
with  which  a  miner  moves  his  muscles. 

There  is  as  much  difference  between  the  muscular 
action  of  a  California  miner  and  that  of  a  man  hired 
by  the  month  to  work  on  a  farm,  as  between  the 
agonizing,  aimless  movements  of  the  sloth  and  the 
pounce  of  the  panther.  As  an  illustration  of  miners' 
hope,  faith,  patience,  and  endurance,  I  will  instance 
the  "  Live  Yankee  Company  "  of  Forest  City.  I  was 
informed  when  there  that,  as  an  experiment,  they 
commenced  a  drift  into  the  mountain  between  that 
city  and  Smith's  flat.  The  mountain  was  so  high 
that  it  was  impossible  to  prospect  it  by  sinking  a 
"shaft"  to  the  "bed  rock,"  the  nearest  way  to  the 
heart  of  the  mountain  being  in  a  line  from  the 
base. 

They  soon  encountered  a  strata  of  solid  rock,  as  hard 
nearly  as  pig  metal.  The  company  having  no  capital 
outside  of  their  muscular  power  and  indomitable 
energy,  had  to  get  their  provisions  on  credit,  and 
worked  in  that  drift,  boring,  blasting,  and  digging  for 
three  years  before  they  got  the  "  color ;"  but  "  struck 
a  lead  "  at  last,  and  were  amply  repaid  for  all  their 
toil.  They  took  out  a  single  "  lump,"  while  I  was 
there,  worth  seven  hundred  dollars. 

The  miners  are  not  all  successful,  but  they  nearly 
all  abound  in  hope  and  energy.  I  seldom  ever  met 
with  one  who  had  not  a  "  good  prospect."  ~No  mat- 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    MINERS.  279 

ter  what  his  past  disappointments  and  losses  had 
been,  he  was  going  to  do  first  rate  as  soon  as  he 
could  get  his  claim  open,  or  his  "  pay  dirt  washed 
out."  Even  the  little  boys  of  the  country  partake  of 
this  spirit.  A  "lucky  miner,"  determining  to  take 
his  family  back  to  the  Atlantic  side,  came  on  as  far 
as  San  Francisco,  and  while  stopping  at  Hillman's 
Hotel,  awaiting  the  day  of  embarcation,  went  out  one 
night  and  fell  among  thieves,  who  robbed  and  mur 
dered  him.  His  body,  three  days  afterward,  was 
found  in  the  bay.  His  poor  widow  was  almost  heart 
broken,  and  her  little  miner  boy,  only  four  years  old, 
when  he  heard  that  his  pa'  was  dead,  went  to  her 
and  said,  "  Ma,  don't  cry !  don't  cry  !  we'll  dit  along. 
You  won't  have  to  beg,  ma.  Dist  wait  till  I  dit  a 
little  bigger,  and  I'll  do  up  and  dig  a  hole  right  down 
in  the  mountain,  and  det  out  the  dold  for  you.  Ma, 
don't  cry ;  you  won't  have  to  beg." 

That  all  miners  are  not  alike  successful,  is  a  fact 
growing  out  of  a  variety  of  causes."  Some  chance  to 
get  richer  claims  than  others.  Some  have  better 
health  than  others.  Working  in  the  rivers  is  very 
injurious  to  health.  Those  rivers  are  fed  by  the  leak 
age  of  mountains  capped  with  perpetual  snow,  and 
are  in  midsummer  almost  as  cold  as  ice-water.  To 
wade  and  work  in  this  ice- water  from  day  to-day, 
under  the  burning  heat  of  summer  sunshine,  freezing 
the  lower  extremities  and  scorching  the  brain,  will 


280  CALIFORNIA    LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

severely  try  any  constitution ;  but  for  the  purity  of 
the  atmosphere,  and  general  heal thf ulness  of  the 
climate,  very  few  could  stand  such  exposure  at  all. 

A  Baltimorean  made  five  thousand  dollars  in  the 
mines,  and  started  to  go  home  to  his  family,  but  was 
induced  to  go  into  a  fluming  operation,  and  spend  a 
summer  in  the  river.  He  concluded  that  it  was  no 
use  to  go  home  with  but  five  thousand  dollars,  when 
by  staying  a  few  months  longer  he  could  double  that 
amount.  The  operation  was  unsuccessful,  and  the 
poor  man  not  only  lost  every  dollar  of  his  money,  but 
by  working  in  the  water  so  much  lost  his  health,  and 
never  got  further  homeward  than  to  San  Francisco. 
I  found  him  there  in  the  charity  hospital  just  as  he 
was  sinking  to  the  grave. 

Many  injure  their  health  working  in  drifts,  espe 
cially  when  they  are  working  under  leaky  ground. 
I  saw  a  tunnel,  near  Forest  City,  from  the  arch  of 
which  water  came  down  continually,  like  rain  tor 
rents,  and  one  of  the  men  engaged  in  it  had  been 
down  with  inflammatory  rheumatism,  unable  to  move 
a  limb  for  weeks.  A  sick  man  not  only  loses  his 
time,  but  his  purse,  subject  to  the  drainage  of  Cali 
fornia  rates  of  expenditure,  very  soon  discharges  all 
its  dust. 

Again,  in  some  mining  districts  the  cost  of  living 
is  enormous.  There  are  large  towns,  and  thousands 
of  miners,  away  in  isolated  regions  so  completely 


LIFE   AMONG   THE    MINERS.  281 

mountain-locked  that  the  only  way  of  access  to  them 
is  by  mule  trails  winding  round  dangerous  rock 
cliffs,  and  over  mountain  heights  which,  to  the  unin 
itiated,  would  seem  to  defy  the  daring  of  the  chamois. 
Everything  that  is  used  in  those  regions — clothing, 
provisions,  mining  tools,  and  machinery — is  packed 
on  mule  back. 

Packing  has  hence  become  a  very  extensive  and 
profitable  business.  A  pack  train  usually  numbers 
from  thirty  to  one  hundred  mules,  each  carrying  a 
burden  of  about  three  hundred  pounds,  of  every 
imaginable  shape — bales,  barrels,  boxes,  crates,  bags, 
and  everything  that  the  necessities  or  luxuries  of  a 
mining  city  could  demand.  To  live  in  such  regions, 
therefore,  costs  perhaps  fifty  per  cent,  more  than  in 
places  easy  of  accesss. 

Again,  many  miners  are  very  reckless ;  they  sport, 
and  spree,  and  waste  their  hard  earnings.  Others, 
again,  spend  all  they  make  in  "  prospecting."  The 
prospectors  constitute  a  very  large  and  useful  class 
of  miners.  They  are  always  dreaming  of  immense 
treasures  of  undiscovered  wealth.  No  matter  how 
well  they  are  doing,  when  they  get  a  few  hundred 
dollars  ahead  they  must  be  off,  with  pick,  and  pan, 
and  miner's  pack,  and  seldom  ever  stop  till  their 
money  is  gone,  and  then  they  set  to  work  in  one 
piace  again  till  they  can  make  "another  raise."  They 
are  constantly  discovering  "  new  diggings,"  and  open- 


282  CALIFOENIA   LIFE   ILLUSTKATED. 

ing  immense  treasures  for  others  to  gather  and  enjoy, 
while  they  continue  to  toil  and  go,  and  toil  and  go 
again,  enduring  the  greatest  hardship,  and  labor, 
and  poverty  ;  living  on  hope,  but  dying  in  despair. 
They  are  very  much  like  their  hardy  pioneer  brothers 
who  led  the  van  of  Western  emigration,  lived  in  log- 
cabins,  supplied  their  families  with  plenty  of  wild 
game  and  "  pounded  cake,"  slept  on  their  arms,  and 
defended  the  outposts  of  civilization  against  savages 
and  wild  beasts ;  an  honest,  generous,  noble  set  of 
men,  who  deserve  much,  but  get  nothing  more  than 
a  plain  subsistence,  and  generally  die  in  poverty. 

As  a  specimen  of  California  prospecting,  I  will 
mention  the  case  of  my  friend  C.  He  arrived  in 
San  Francisco  in  1850,  and  got  employment  at  Mis 
sion  Dolores  in  the  brick-making  business,  which  was 
his  trade,  at  seven  dollars  per  day,  with  the  prom 
ise  of  steady  work  by  the  year.  After  making  a 
few  hundred  dollars  he  became  dissatisfied.  Said 
he: 

"  I've  not  seen  my  mother  for  several  years,  and  I 
can't  stay  more  than  a  year  or  two  in  California ;  and 
I  see  plainly  enough  that  in  that  time  seven  dollars 
per  day  won't  make  such  a  pile  as  I  want." 

So  he  gave  up  his  situation  and  went  to  the  mines, 
where  he  knew  he  could  do  better  with  even  ordi 
nary  success,  and,  besides,  stand  a  chance  to  make 
some  "  big  strikes." 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    MINERS.  283 

I  met  with  him  a  couple  of  years  afterward,  and 
said:  ""Well,  friend  C.,  how  do  you  get  along?" 

"  O,  pretty  well,"  replied  he  ;  "I  opened  a  first-rate 
claim  in  Mariposa  County  last  year,  but  just  as  I  got 
it  in  good  working  condition  the  water  failed,  so  I 
had  to  let  it  lie  over.  When  the  time  came  that  I 
could  have  worked  it,  I  happened  to  be  away  up 
near  Downieville,  and  having  a  good  claim  there  I 
didn't  go  back  to  Mariposa.  I  have  taken  out  a 
great  deal  of  gold,  but  in  prospecting  from  place  to 
place  I  have  spent  it  all ;  but  I  have  some  good 
claims  which  will  pay  big  by  and  by," 

Three  years  after  that  I  met  Friend  C.  in  American 
Yalle}7.  "  Halloo,  my  old  friend ;  how  do  you  get 
along  ?" 

"  O,  pretty  well,"  replied  he ;  "  but  I'm  not  ready 
to  go  home  yet." 

"I  presume  your  dear  old  mother  would  be  glad 
to  see  you  by  this  time." 

"  Yes,  indeed,  and  I  would  be  glad  to  see  her ;  but 
I  can't  go  home  till  I  make  something." 

"  Well,  how  near  are  you  ready  ?" 

"  I  don't  know.  I  have  made  money ;  but  in 
traveling  from  place  to  place  I  have  spent  it  all.  I 
have  been  up  to  Oregon  since  I  saw  you,  and  had  a 
chance  to  get  a  first-rate  farm  there,  if  I  could  have 
stayed ;  but  I  had  some  rich  claims  in  Mariposa,  and 
thought  I  ought  to  come  down  and  look  after  them  j 

17 


284  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

but  when  I  got  there,  I  found  that  some  fellows  had 
jumped  my  claims,  and  I  couldn't  get  them  off  with 
out  a  great  deal  of  trouble,  so  I  came  away  and  left 
them.  I  afterward  opened  a  good  claim  near  Yreka ; 
but  my  partner  was  a  disagreeable,  quarrelsome  fel 
low,  so  I  sold  out  for  a  mere  song,  and  came  away. 
I've  got  a  good  prospect  near  Elizabethtown,  which 
I  think  will  pay  well  when  I  get  it  opened." 

Another,  with  whom  I  was  acquainted,  who  had 
not  seen  his  family  for  six  years,  said  to  me  one  day  : 
"  For  five  years  I  have  set  a  time  to  go  home  about 
every  six  months;  but  every  six  months  has  found  me 
either  dead-broke,  or  doing  so  very  well  I  could  not 
leave."  But  few  of  this  adventurous  class,  the  pro- 
specters,  will  submit  to  the  mortification  of  returning 
to  their  friends  without  money,  and  but  few  of  them 
are  likely  ever  to  have  enough  at  any  one  time  to 
pay  their  passage  home ;  while  nearly  all  of  them, 
with  their  mining  skill,  might  make  a  fortune  if  they 
wrould  remain  in  one  place,  and  save  their  earnings. 

The  social  condition  of  a  large  proportion  of  the 
miners  of  California  has  been  bad,  but  is  now  rapidly 
improving.  Separated  as  they  have  been  from  all 
socializing  home  influences,  and  especially  from  vir 
tuous  female  society,  reduced  to  constant  toil  and  the 
roughest  modes  of  life,  they  became  rustics,  and 
many  of  them  became  very  vulgar  and  profane. 
Many  men  of  fine  mind  and  good  education  have 


LIFE -AMONG    THE    MIXERS.  285 

laid  all  their  intellectual  strength  under  contribution 
for  the  manufacture  of  witticisms  and  vulgar  sayings, 
adapted  to  the  demand  of  a  vitiated  social  taste,  and 
spent  their  evenings  in  detailing  them  for  the  enter 
tainment  of  the  fun-loving  crowds. 

The  introduction  of  virtuous  women  and  good 
families  is  working  a  hopeful  social  reform  through 
out  the  mining  regions.  I  heard  a  letter-carrier's 
salutation  to  a  company  of  miners,  which  was  vulgar 
and  scandalous  in  the  extreme.  From  the  miners 
he  came  to  the  house  at  which  I  was  stopping,  and 
addressed  the  lady  of  the  house  in  a  most  polite, 
chaste,  and  gentlemanly  manner. 

The  moral  condition  of  the  miners  is  by  no  means 
what  it  ought  to  be.  But  very  few  of  them  are  par 
ticularly  anxious  to  go  to  heaven.  I  preached  to  a 
large  assembly  of  miners  one  Sunday  afternoon  in 
the  streets  of  Placerville,  a  flourishing  mining  city  of 
six  thousand  inhabitants.  In  front  of  my  goods-box 
pulpit  stood  a  stage-coach,  which  was  crowded  to  its 
utmost  capacity  with  as  many  of  my  auditors  as  were 
fortunate  enough  to  secure  so  good  a  seat.  I  endeav 
ored  to  show  the  multitude  before  me  their  unfitness 
for  heaven  in  their  unregenerated  state,  their  utter 
want  of  sympathy  with  God,  or  adaptation  to  the 
immunities  of  heaven.  To  illustrate  the  truth  of  my 
position,  I  said :  "  If  God  should  dispatch  a  rail-car 
train  to  the  city  of  Placerville  this  afternoon  to  con- 


286  CALIFORNIA    LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

vey  passengers  direct  to  heaven,  the  conductor  might 
whistle  till  the  setting  of  the  sun  and  not  get  one  pas 
senger.  Heaven  has  no  attractions  for  you.  It  is  a 
place  to  which  you  don't  want  to  go.  Why,  if  the 
flaming  steeds  of  Elijah's  chariot  of  fire  were  hitched 
on  to  that  stage-coach,  and  the  driver  cracked  his 
whip  for  the  heavenly  country,  every  fellow  in  it  would 
jump  out;"  and  in  a  moment  the  coach  was  cleared, 
every  man  in  it  leaped  for  the  street  in  an  apparent 
fright,  from  the  apprehension  that,  perhaps,  Elijah's 
horses  might  be  hitched  to  the  stage,  and  they 
taken  off  to  glory,  a  place  to  which  they  did  not  wish 
to  go. 

/  Sabbath-breaking  and  profane  swearing  are  promi 
nent  in  the  catalogue  of  miners'  offenses  against  the 
Lord. 

Sunday  in  the  mines  was  remembered  only  as  a 
day  for  trading,  recreation,  spreeing,  business  meet 
ings,  and  preparation  for  the  business  of  the  ensuing 
week. 

It  was  very  common  to  see  large  cards  hung  up  in 
boarding-houses  and  business  places,  like  this :  "  All 
bills  paid  up  here  on  Sunday."  That  was  the  day 
for  miners  to  get  their  blacksmith  work  done,  and 
lay  in  their  supply  of  provisions  for  the  week ;  the 
day  for  holding  public  meetings  for  the  enactment  of 
miners'  laws,  or  other  municipal  business.  Under  a 
general  statute,  every  mining  district  enacts  its  own 


LIFE  AMOXG    THE    MINERS.  28? 

laws,  by  the  voice  of  the  majority,  regulating  all  the 
mining  claims  of  the  district,  as  to  size,  conditions  of 
pre-emption,  etc.  Under  those  laws  they  can  sue 
and  be  sued,  and  everybody  has  to  conform  to  them. 
Mining  companies  and  water  companies  also  did  a 
great  deal  of  their  collective  business  on  that  day; 
and  promiscuous  masses  of  all  sorts  assembled  at  the 
hotels  and  drinking  saloons,  to  drink  and  spree  with 
out  restraint.  "What  was  worse,  the  standard  of 
moral  law  was  thrown  down,  and  its  authority 
denied.  When  we  remember  that  a  large  majority 
of  those  men  were  educated  in  a  Christian  country, 
and  that  many  had -even  been  professors  of  religion, 
it  is  easy  to  see  how  quickly  even  a  Christian  people 
will  relapse  into  heathenism,  if  deprived  of  the 
wholesome  restraints  and  elevating  influences  of  the 
Gospel. 

In  a  preaching  tour  I  made  through  the  mines,  as 
late  as  1855,  I  traveled  nearly  a  week  without  the 
privilege  of  any  Christian  association,  and  I  longed 
for  the  opportunity  of  shaking  a  Christian's  hand, 
and  of  feeling  the  warming  sympathy  of  a  heart  that 
loved  Jesus.  On  entering  a  mining  town  I  inquired 
in  the  hotel  at  which  I  put  up,  whether  there  were 
any  professors  of  religion  in  that  town. 

"Yes,"  answered  the  landlord,  "there  is  one. 
Mr.  T.,  our  blacksmith,  is  a  good  Christian  man." 

And  different  boarders  added :  "  Yes,  Mr.  T.  is  a 


288  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

good  man  if  ever  there  was  one.  He  lias  his  family 
here,  and  everybody  looks  up  to  him." 

So,  at  my  earliest  convenience,  I  hastened  to  see 
Brother  T.  He  received  me  very  cordially,  and  in 
troduced  me  to  his  family,  all  of  whom  looked  very 
neat  and  respectable,  and  I  rejoiced  in  the  privilege 
of  meeting  so  exemplary  a  Christian  family  away  in 
those  wild  woods. 

As  soon  a§  I  took  my  seat  I  inquired  of  Brother  T. 
how  he  was  prospering  in  religious  life. 

"  Well,"  replied  he,  "  I  think  I  am  getting  along 
pretty  well,  considering  all  the  circumstances ;  but 
not  so  well  as  I  did  in  Illinois,  where  I  enjoyed  the 
public  means  of  grace.  My  greatest  drawbacks  here 
are  my  having  no  religious  meetings  to  go  to,  and 
my  having  to  work  on  Sunday.  I  support  my  family 
by  blacksmithing,  and  the  miners  must  have  most  of 
their  work  done  on  Sunday;  and,  to  tell  you  the 
truth,  I  have  worked  in  my  shop  here  every  Sunday 
except  two  for  five  years.  One  Sunday  I  was  sick, 
and  couldn't  work ;  and  one  Sunday  I  went  to  hear 
the  only  sermon  ever  preached  on  this  creek,  which 
was  delivered  by  Brother  Merchant." 

"O,"  thought  I,  "shades  of  the  fathers!  if  this  is 
the  *  best  man  in  these  mountains,'  the  Lord  pity  the 
worst." 

I  traveled  nearly  a  week  before  I  found  another 
Christian.  He  was  an  old  ship-master,  a  good  old 


LIFE    AMO]STG    THE    MINEES.  289 

Methodist  from  Boston.  I  invited  him  to  go  to  Long 
Bar,,  on  north  fork  of  Feather  River,  to  hear  me 
preach  the  following  Sunday. 

At  the  appointed  hour,  Sunday  morning,  I  had  a 
large  audience  to  preach  to  under  the  shade  of  an 
ancient  pine.  The  sound  of  the  Gospel  had  never 
echoed  through  those  hills  before.  Looking  over  my 
audience  I  discovered  my  old  captain,  and  felt  glad 
to  think  that  I  had  at  least  one  praying  heart,  who 
could  sympathize  with  my  mission  and  my  message 
of  mercy.  After  meeting  I  asked  the  old  captain 
to  take  a  walk  with  me  "  up  into  the  mountain  to 
pray."  I  felt  that  I  needed  the  warming  influence 
of  a  little  prayer-meeting,  and  I  supposed  he  did  too. 
Finding  a  suitable  place,  I  sang  a  few  verses  and 
prayed ;  I  then  sang  again,  and  thinking  I  had  got 
the  good  brother  pretty  warm,  and  that  he  in  turn 
would  contribute  to  the  fire  of  my  own  heart,  I  called 
on  him  to  lead  in  prayer.  But  I  couldn't  get  a  grunt 
out  of  him.  Thought  I,  "Poor  old  captain,  he  is 
dried  up." 

I  announced  an  afternoon  appointment  for  preach 
ing  in  the  same  place,  and  thought  from  the  size  of 
the  morning  audience,  and  the  apparently  good  effect 
of  the  preaching  upon  them,  that  I  would  have  a 
much  larger  congregation,  and  a  better  time,  at  the 
second  appointment.  But,  to  my  surprise  and  mor 
tification,  I  did  not  have  more  than  twenty  hearers, 


290  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

and  when  I  cast  about  to  know  the  cause,  I  learned 
that,  according  to  custom,  nearly  the  whole  popula 
tion  of  the  neighborhood  had  by  that  hour  of  the 
day  become  too  drunk  to  attend  preaching.  Such  a 
variety  of  antics  as  they  displayed  beat  anything  I 
had  ever  witnessed.  E"ext  morning  I  found  most  of 
them  sober,  and  ready  to  work ;  and  to  show  their 
appreciation  of  my  ministerial  services,  they  gave  me 
a  donation  for  my  Bethel  cause  of  nearly  one  hun 
dred  dollars.  The  cases  here  given  are  to  illustrate 
the  general  character  of  the  miners  in  those  regions. 
I  found  in  nearly  every  place  I  visited  honorable  ex 
ceptions — sober,  serious  men,  who  deeply  deplored 
the  prevailing  wickedness  of  the  miners ;  and  every 
where  I  went  there  was  a  general  expression  of 
desire  for  the  regular  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  and 
the  establishment  of  its  institutions  among  them, 
and  a  liberal  support  for  a  preacher  and  his  family 
was  pledged.  I  found  a  few  merchants,  too,  who 
would  not  sell  goods  on  the  Sabbath.  A  man  of 
my  acquaintance,  who  passed  for  a  minister  of  the 
Gospel  before  he  went  to  California,  opened  a  pro 
vision  store  in  the  southern  mines.  He  commenced 
business  with  the  determination  not  to  sell  liquor, 
nor  to  break  the  Sabbath.  He  had  a  moderate  de 
gree  of  success  on  that  principle,  but  nothing  to  com 
pare  with  the  success  of  his  business  competitors, 
who  sold  liquor  and  kept  open  on  Sunday.  His 


LITE    AMOXG    THE    METERS.  291 

pecuniary  sense  became  shocked  a  great  deal  more 
by  what  he  considered  his  losses,  than  his  moral 
sense  was  comforted  by  his  spiritual  conquests.  So, 
having  mining  friends  to  call  and  see  him  on  Sunday, 
he  was  induced  to  leave  his  back  door  ajar,  so  that 
any  who  desired  might  be  accommodated  with  a 
pair  of  boots,  or  a  week's  provisions.  That  paid  so 
well  that  he  was  induced  next  to  leave  his  front  door 
ajar.  He  then  in  a  short  time,  in  accordance  with 
that  vulgar,  dangerous,  but  popular  maxim,  "  May  as 
well  be  hung  for  stealing  an  old  sheep  as  a  lamb," 
set  his  doors  wide  open,  and  added  the  liquors  to  his 
supply.  He  felt  that  it  was  all  wrong,  but  pleaded 
necessity,  and  thought  that  as  soon  as  he  could  make 
a  certain  amount  of  money,  he  would  quit  the  busi 
ness,  go  home,  and  do  good  writh  his  money.  For  a 
season  he  had  extraordinary  success,  employed  thirty 
yoke  of  oxen,  all  his  own,  on  the  road  from  Stockton 
to  his  place  of  business,  to  supply  his  store  with 
goods.  He  had  besides  several  hundred  head  of 
valuable  cattle. 

Finally,  there  came  a  night  in  which  he  was  sur 
prised  by  the  Indians,  who  stampeded  his  cattle, 
burned  up  his  store,  goods  and  all,  and  the  ex-reverend 
gentleman  fled  for  his  life,  and  begged  his  way  down 
to  Stockton  as  poor  as  Lazarus.  He  regarded  his 
reverses  as  a  judgment  for  his  apostasy,  and  repented 
his  fall.  When  I  made  his  acquaintance  he  was  in 


292  CALIFOKNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTKATED. 

the  honorable  business  of  milling,  making  flour  to 
supply  his  neighbors  with  bread,  and  was  bringing 
"  forth  fruits  meet  for  repentance."  I  heard  him  in 
a  public  meeting  give  a  tearful  narration  of  the 
above  facts.  Brother  H.,  a  friend  of  mine,  opened  a 
provision  store  in  the  northern  mines.  The  first 
Sunday  after  opening,  a  company  of  miners  came  to 
get  a  supply  of  provisions  at  the  "  new  store,"  but  to 
their  surprise  they  found  the  doors  closed,  and  going 
in  the  rear,  they  found  the  new  merchant  in  his  tent. 

"  Halloo !  old  man,  we've  come  to  buy  some  pro 
visions  from  you.  We  are  very  glad  you  have 
opened  a  store  in  these  diggings ;  it's  what  we  have 
wanted  here  for  a  long  time." 

"  Well,  boys,"  Brother  H.  replied,  "  I  have  opened 
a  store  here,  and  intend  to  keep  a  good  supply  of 
everything  you  may  need ;  but  I  want  you  to  under 
stand  from  the  start,  that  I  will  never  sell  you  any 
liquor,  and  will  never  sell  you  goods  of  any  kind  on 
Sunday." 

"  Well,  old  man,  you  may  just  as  wrell  pack  up 
your  duds  and  go  home,  for  you  can  do  nothing  here 
on  those  terms. 

"You  have  a  right  to  your  opinion,  boys," 
replied  Brother  H.,  "but  I  intend  to  do  right, 
whether  I  make  anything  or  not.  If  I  can't  make  a 
living  without  poisoning  my  neighbor  by  selling  rum, 
and  offending  God  by  breaking  his  holy  day,  I'll 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    MIXERS.  298 

starve,  or  beg  my  way  home  ;  but  I  intend  to  give  it 
a  fair  trial  before  I  abandon  the  effort." 

"  Old  man,"  rejoined  the  miners,  "  we  are  hungry, 
we  ate  the  last  of  our  provisions  yesterday  evening, 
and  have  come  to  get  something  to  cook  for  our 
breakfast.  Let  us  have  enough  to  satisfy  our  hunger 
to-day,  and  we  will  come  to-morrow,  and  lay  in  a 
supply  for  the  week." 

"  Boys,  you  can  fast  and  pray  to-day,"  replied  the 
old  man,  "  and  you'll  learn,  next  time,  to  make 
timely  provision  for  the  wants  of  the  Sabbath." 

With  that  the  miners  got  mad  and  swore  a  while 
at  the  "  old  fool,"  and  left ;  but  everywhere  they 
went  they  told  about  an  "  old  fogy  who  had  come 
up  into  the  mountains  to  teach  us  all  how  to  keep 
Sunday."  They  thus  advertised  him  all  through 
those  mountains,  and  thinking  men  at  once  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  a  man  maintaining  such  a 
position  must  be  an  honest  man.  "  "We  can  depend 
on  the  word  of  such  a  man  as  that.  Rely  upon  it 
he  won't  cheat  us."  The  result  was  that  the  better 
class  of  miners  poured  in  upon  him  for  supplies  at 
such  a  rate,  that  in  a  few  months  he  "  made  his  pile," 
and  returned  East  to  his  family. 

Wicked  as  were  the  mass  of  California  miners, 
they  have  always  displayed  some  good  qualities. 
They  have  all  encountered  hardships  and  sufferings, 
and  most  of  them  have  hearts  to  sympathize  with  the 


294  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

suffering.  Though  appeals  to  their  charity-  are 
of  almost  daily  occurrence,  yet  no  man  in  real  need, 
that  I  ever  heard  of,  has  ever  yet  made  a  fruitless 
call  on  the  miners  for  help.  They  are  magnanimous, 
too,  in  their  liberality ;  but  they  have  an  utter  abhor 
rence  of  little,  mean  things  ;  for  example  :  There  was 
a  fellow  at  Smith's  Flat,  who,  to  gratify  some  secret 
brutal  passion  of  his  own,  tied  a  chicken,  and  put  it 
alive  on  the  fire,  and  cooked  it  for  his  dinner.  The 
thing  was  made  known  in  the  town,  and  the  miners 
immediately  called  a  meeting,  and  unanimously 
passed  a  resolution  to  the  effect  that  the  chicken- 
roaster's  presence  was  no  longer  desirable  in  that 
camp,  and  that  fifteen  minutes  be  given  him,  after 
due  notice  from  a  committee  appointed  to  notify 
him,  for  his  disappearance  from  those  diggings, 
never  more  to  return.  Several  months  had  elapsed 
at  the  time  of  my  visit  there,  but  up  to  that  hour  he 
had  not  been  seen  in  those  parts  after  the  expiration 
of  the  ominous  fifteen  minutes. 

A  butcher  in  the  town  of  Alameda  received  a  sim 
ilar  notice  from  a  similar  court,  giving  him  two 
hours.  About  the  middle  of  his  last  hour  I  saw  him 
driving  away  with  his  effects  in  a  wagon.  Among 
his  movables  were  several  live  sheep,  one  of  which 
got  loose  in  the  midst  of  the  town,  jumped  out,  and 
ran  for  life.  The  butcher  and  one  of  his  men  pur 
sued  it  a  few  squares,  and  finally  shot  it,  threw  it 


LIFE    AMONG   THE   MIKEES.  295 

into  the  wagon,  and  was  out  of  sight  by  the  time  his 
hour  had  expired. 

Notorious  rogues  were  often  discharged  from  a 
town  or  mining  camp  in  that  way,  while  notorious 
murderers  were  hanged  by  the  neck.  Judge  Lynch 
has  transacted  a  great  deal  of  business  in  California. 
I  designed  inserting  a  chapter  of  facts  and  incidents 
illustrating  the  history  of  Lynch  law  and  Yigilance 
Committee  operations  in  California,  and  the  natural 
and  Providential  laws  under  which  those  facts  have 
been  manifested,  but  my  space  in  the  present  book 
will  not  admit  of  it.  However  much  may  be  said 
in  condemnation  of  Judge  Lynch's  court  and  its  pro 
ceedings,  there  is  this  to  be  said  in  favor  of  the  den 
izens  of  California,  that  riots,  and  a  promiscuous 
shooting  into  the  masses,  killing  the  innocent  with 
the  guilty,  such  as  have  been  enacted  in  Baltimore 
and  other  Eastern  cities,  have  never  been  known  in 
California.  Such,  for  example,  as  I  saw  last  May 
in  Washington  City,  when,  to  quell  an  election  riot 
that  had  occurred  and  passed  over  without  any  mor 
tal  effects  three  hours  before,  one  hundred  and  ten 
hired  soldiers,  with  muskets  each  loaded  with  ball 
and  three  buckshot,  fired  upon  an  unsuspecting  crowd 
of  citizens,  instantly  killing  eight  unoffending  men, 
besides  wounding  many  others.  That  I  witnessed,  if, 
to  be  sure,  getting  up  from  my  dinner-table  just 
across  the  street  and  standing  behind  a  brick  wall 


296  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

to  avoid  being  shot  myself,  may  be  called  witness 
ing  it. 

Such  riots,  and  such  promiscuous  shooting  and 
killing  I  have  never  yet  heard  of  in  California.  In 
the  administration  of  California  Lynch  law,  so  far  as  I 
have  known  or  heard,  the  thunderbolt  of  public  fury 
has  always  fallen  only  on  the  head  of  the  guilty  man 
who  by  the  enormity  and  palpable  character  of  his 
crime  excited  it,  and  then  not  until  after  his  guilt 
was  proved  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  masses  compos 
ing  the  court. 

For  example :  A  stranger  called  late  one  evening  at 
the  cabin  of  a  miner  who  had  his  wife  with  him,  and 
begged  for  lodgings,  saying  that  he  was  a  poor  trav 
eler,  had  been  unfortunate  in  business,  etc.  The 
miner  and  his  good  wife  pitied  the  poor  stranger,  took 
him  in,  and  treated  him  to  the  best  they  had.  The 
next  morning  after  breakfast  the  miner  had  occasion 
to  go  away  a  few  miles,  and  left  the  man  at  his 
house.  When  he  got  out  of  sight,  the  accommodated 
stranger  murdered  the  woman  and  proceeded  to  rob 
the  house.  Before  he  got  quite  through,  however, 
with  his  nefarious  work,  the  miner  returned,  saw 
what  was  done,  and  raised  the  alarm. 

The  murderer  was  caught  and  tried.  A  meeting 
of  miners  was  called  to  order,  a  judge  appointed  to 
try  the  case ;  witnesses  were  examined,  and  the  guilt 
of  the  criminal  proved,  upon  which  the  judge  stated 


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HANGING    OF    JENKINS    ON    THE    PLAZA. 


LIFE    AMOXG    THE   MINERS.  299 

the  case  and  submitted  the  question  of  life  or  death 
to  the  mass  composing  his  court,  who  unanimously 
voted  guilty,  and  death  by  hanging.  The  judge  de 
cided  that  the  criminal  should  be  allowed  fifteen 

• 

minutes  in  which  to  prepare  for  death.  He  was  then 
hung  by  the  neck  to  a  tree. 

I  give  this  fact  without  comment,  simply  to  illus 
trate  the  character  of  Judge  Lynch's  proceedings. 
The  accompanying  cut  will  illustrate  a  similar  trag 
edy,  and  the  first  of  that  kind  enacted  in  San  Fran 
cisco  b}~  the  Vigilance  Committee  of  1851.  Jenkins 
was  hung  from  a  cross-beam  at  the  south  end  of  "  the 
Old  Adobe  on  the  Plaza,"  within  a  few  feet  of  my 
pulpit.  This  is  the  "  Old  Adobe  "  to  wrhich  frequent 
allusion  is  made  in  my  "  Seven  Years'  Street  Preach 
ing  in  San  Francisco,"  from  the  front  veranda  of 
which,  as  seen  in  the  cut,  I  for  several  years  preached 
to  the  excited  varieties  of  the  world. 

It  is  a  fact,  which  I  believe  is  generally  admitted, 
that  just  in  proportion  as  the  LAW  acquires  power  in 
California  for  the  protection  of  her  citizens,  in  that 
proportion  Lynch  law  is  dispensed  with ;  and  I  believe 
that  when  the  legal  authority  of  the  state  attains  to 
a  degree  of  honorable  dignity  and  strength  sufficient 
for  the  accomplishment  of  its  glorious  ends  through 
out  that  commonwealth,  Judge  Lynch  will  resign 
his  office,  and  forever  decline  re-election. 

I  would  remark  further  in  regard  to  the  miners, 


300  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

and  the  same  remarks  will  apply  to  Californians  gen 
erally,  that  they  are  a  self-reliant,  independent  class 
of  men,  who,  in  all  matters  of  personal  opinion  and 
conduct,  think,  and  speak,  and  do  as  they  are 
inclined,  and  cheerfully  extend  the  same  privilege  to 
each  other  and  everybody  else.  Hence  ministers  of 
the  Gospel,  in  California's  worst  days,  were  permitted 
to  preach  in  bar-rooms,  gambling-saloons,  public 
thoroughfares,  or  wherever  they  wished,  without  hin- 
derance  or  disturbance. 

For  example :  I  went  into  the  city  of  Sonora  at 
nine  o'clock  one  Saturday  night,  not  knowing  a  man 
in  the  place ;  and  finding  the  streets  crowded  with 
miners,  who  had  gathered  in  from  all  parts  of  the 
surrounding  mountains,  I  felt  a  desire  to  tell  them 
about  Jesus,  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  them  ;  so  I  got 
a  brother  whom  I  chanced  to  meet,  to  roll  a  goods' 
box  into  the  street,  nearly  in  front  of  a  large  crowd 
ed  gambling-house,  and  taking  my  stand,  I  threw 
out  on  the  gentle  zephyrs  of  that  mild  April  night 
one  of  Zion's  sweetest  songs,  which  echoed  among 
the  hills,  and  settled  down  on  the  astonished  multi 
tudes  like  the  charm  of  Orpheus.  My  congregation 
packed  the  street  from  side  to  side.  Good  order  and 
profound  attention  prevailed,  while  the  truth,  in  the 
most  uncompromising  terms,  was  being  proclaimed. 
At  the  close  of  the  exercises  many,  strangers  to  me, 
who  had  heard  me  preach  in  the  streets  of  San  Fran- 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    MINERS.  301 

cisco,  gave  me  a  hearty  greeting,  among  them  a 
notorious  gambler,  who  shook  my  hand  and  wel 
comed  me  to  the  mountains. 

I  preached  in  Jamestown  one  night  under  similar 
circumstances.  I  got  permission  of  a  butcher  to  con 
vert  his  meat-block  into  a  pulpit ;  I  tried  to  have  the 
butcher  himself  converted,  but  did  not  succeed  in 
that,  though  he  made  very  humble  confessions,  and, 
like  Herod  under  the  preaching  of  John,  "  did  many 
things."  Selecting  the  best  point  for  a  crowd,  I  hap 
pened  again  to  be  in  front  of  a  large  gambling-house. 
Some  of  the  gamblers,  thinking  that  I  was  putting  on 
too  strong  an  "  opposition  line,"  took  offense  and 
tried  to  run  me  off  the  track.  They  knew  the  char 
acter  of  the  miners  too  well  to  attempt  to  confront 
the  preacher  personally ;  so  to  try  and  scatter  my 
audience,  they  tied  some  tin  pans  to  a  dog's  tail,  and 
sent  him  off  with  a  clatter,  they  yelling  after  him. 
Stopping  short  in  the  midst  of  my  sermon,  I  said : 

"There  they  go,  poor  fellows;  they  want  to  make 
their  souls  happy.  Rather  a  poor  intellectual  enter 
tainment,  tying  tin  pans  to  a  dog's  tail;  but  I  presume 
it's  the  best  they  can  do,  so  we'll  let  them  go  and 
make  the  most  of  it." 

By  that  time  they  were  out  of  sight,  out  of  hear 
ing,  and  the  attention  of  my  audience  stimulated  and 
improved. 

The  social  and  moral  condition  of  the  California 
18 


302  CALIFORNIA    LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

miners  has  been  gradually  improving  for  the  last 
four  years.  Mining  operations  have  already  assumed 
a  degree  of  local  permanency,  which  to  many  would 
be  considered  impossible.  When  a  man  opens  a 
drift  into  a  good  lead  he  has  before  him,  in  working 
out  his  claim,  profitable  employment  for  a  dozen 
years. 

The  deep  diggings,  hydraulic  and  quartz  mining, 
are  all  carried  on  for  years  in  the  same  locations ; 
and  in  many  places  the  miner  can  calculate  in  ad 
vance  the  returns  of  a  year's  labor,  as  certainly  and 
definitely  as  can  the  mechanic,  merchant,  or  farmer. 
The  mining  towns  commenced  eight  years  ago,  and 
which  it  was  believed  would  be  abandoned  to  the 
coyotes  in  two  or  three  years,  as  the  mines  in  those 
localities  would  be  worked  out,  have  generally  gone 
on,  increasing  in  size  and  permanence  every  year, 
and  bear  now  as  hopeful  indications  of  living  to  the 
end  of  the  world,  as  do  the  agricultural  and  commer 
cial  towns.  I  am  not  speaking  of  the  paper  towns  and 
cities  peddled  about  in  numberless  scores  by  specula 
tors,  but  which  never  had  an  existence  except  on  their 
beautifully  colored  maps ;  the  mining  towns  I  have  in 
my  mind  when  instituting  the  above  comparison,  are 
such  as  Nevada,  Grass  Yalley,  Columbia,  Sonora, 
each  containing  an  average  of  five  thousand  inhabit 
ants  ;  and  a  hundred  others  of  various  sizes,  equally 
prosperous  and  permanent. 


LIFE    AMONG    THE   MINERS.  303 

The  miners  everywhere  through  the  mountains  are 
settling  their  families ;  schools  and  churches  are  mul 
tiplying  in  every  direction.  Besides  the  ministers  of 
other  denominations,  who  are  doing  a  great  work  for 
God,  there  are  upward  of  ninety  itinerant  preachers 
in  connection  with  the  California  Conference  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  who  are  sounding  the 
jubilee  trump  from  Dan  to  Beersheba,  from  Yreka 
to  San  Diego.  Gambling  has  gone  down,  under  the 
pressure  of  an  indignant  public  sentiment,  a  thousand 
per  cent,  below  par,  and  all  the  "hells"  in  the  state 
were  closed  three  years  ago  by  the  hand  of  the  law. 
The  great  Goliah  of  Gath,  the  gambling  fraternity 
of  California,  which  defied  all  Israel  for  years,  has 
fallen,  and  his  decapitated  carcass  has  been  delivered 
over  to  the  vultures.  The  Sabbath  is  honored  much 
more  now  than  formerly,  and  though  many,  very 
many  and  great  evils  remain,  yet  social  and  moral 
progress  are  now  the  order  of  the  day  in  California. 


304  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 


CHAPTEE  XI. 

CALIFORNIA   AS    A    MISSIONARY   FIELD. 

GOD,  in  his  word  and  in  his  providences,  has  re 
vealed  and  established  two  leading  modes  of  spread 
ing  the  tidings  of  salvation  to  perishing  sinners  of 
distant  lands.  The  first  is  to  send  the  Gospel  to 
them  in  heathen  lands,  by  his  embassadors;  and 
the  second  is  to  send  them  to  the  Gospel  in  Chris 
tian  lands,  by  his  providences. 

The  Divine  authority  of  the  first  mode  is  found  in 
the  great  commission :  "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world, 
and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature ;"  but  the 
apostles  receiving  it  were  to  tarry  at  Jerusalem,  until 
endued  with  power  from  on  high.  By  the  time  the 
power  descended  upon  them,  God,  in  his  providence, 
developed  the  second  mode.  When  the  apostles 
came  down  from  that  celebrated  upper  room,  from 
that  extraordinary  protracted  prayer-meeting,  writh 
hearts  of  love  and  tongues  of  fire,  lo  !  right  at  their 
doors  were  assembled  representative  dwellers  of  at 
least  fifteen  different  nations.  These  all  listened  to 
Peter's  great  pentecostal  sermon,  and  not  only  heard 


CALIFORNIA   AS    A   MISSIONARY   FIELD.       305 

and  saw  the  "  wonderful  works  of  God,"  but  felt  in 
their  hearts,  that  very  day,  the  power  of  pardoning 
grace,  and  away  they  went  back  to  their  homes,  de 
claring  everywhere  the  great  things  which  had  come 
to  pass  in  the  "  Holy  City,"  and  "  holding  forth,"  in 
the  experience  and  conduct  of  a  new  life,  the  torch 
of  redeeming  love  in  the  darkest  and  most  remote 
portions  of  the  earth  long  before  the  preachers  had 
even  noted  one  foreign  mission  on  the  plan  of  their 
appointments.  God  was  beforehand  with  them  then, 
as  he  has  been  ever  since. 

The  fact  is,  their  views  in  regard  to  foreign  mis 
sionary  work  and  the  redemption  of  the  race  were,  as 
yet,  so  contracted,  that  they  would  not  preach  the 
Gospel  to  any  but  Jews,  even  at  home,  until  by  the 
exhibition  of  the  "  great  sheet,"  with  its  animals  of 
every  kind,  St.  Peter's  sectarian  shackles  were  un 
loosed,  and  he  was  compelled,  by  the  direct  command 
of  God,  to  go  and  preach  to  the  house  of  Cornelius. 
St.  Paul  was  the  first  foreign  missionary  to  go  abroad 
and  establish  missions  among  the  heathen,  and  make 
a  practical  demonstration  of  the  first  mode  referred 
to ;  but  in  nearly  every  place  he  visited,  he  found 
scattered  abroad  the  pentecostal  seeds  of  truth,  which 
had  been  borne,  as  it  were,  on  the  wings  of  the  wind 
by  the  efficient  workings  of  the  second  mode. 

Without  stopping  to  show  that  those  two  modes  of 
missionary  enterprise  bear  respectively  the  sanctions 


306  CALIFORNIA   LUTE   ILLUSTRATED. 

of  Divine  providence  in  every  age  of  the  Church's 
history,  I  would  simply  say,  that  never,  perhaps, 
since  the  days  of  St.  Paul,  have  they  been  more 
clearly  exhibited  than  at  the  present  hour.  The 
planting  and  sustaining  of  Christian  missions  among 
the  heathen  and  semi-heathen  nations  of  Europe, 
Asia,  Africa,  and  Oceanica,  are  in  strict  accordance 
with  the  first  mode.  Foreign  missionary  work,  there 
fore,  is  Scriptural  in  its  authority,  and  therefore 
necessary,  and  must  be  sustained  at  whatever  cost, 
however  long  we  may  have  to  wait  to  see  the  fruits 
of  an  abundant  harvest.  The  practical  results,  how 
ever,  arising  from  the  labors  of  foreign  missionaries, 
of  all  Christian  denominations,  are,  upon  the  whole, 
hopeful  and  cheering.  They  survey  and  plot  the 
unoccupied  territories  of  Immanuel's  lands,  establish 
militant  posts,  and  garrisons  for  soldiers  of  the  cross, 
and  bear  the  truce-flag  of  redemption  to  the  utter 
most  parts  of  the  earth.  Foreign  missions  are  worth 
more  than  the  cost  of  sustaining  them,  for  the  in 
fluence  they  exert  on  the  commercial  adventurers 
and  seamen  of  Christian  nations.  Many  a  prodigal 
son  has  been  arrested  and  brought  to  Christ  in 
foreign  lands  by  Christian  missionaries,  who  could 
not,  perhaps,  have  been  reached  anywhere  else.  I 
will  give  one  single  case  to  illustrate  this  position. 
A.  M.  Brown,  a  sailor  of  my  acquaintance,  was  ex 
tremely  wicked  and  profane,  an  avowed  enemy  of 


CALIFORNIA    AS    A   MISSIONARY    FIELD.       307 

Christ  and  his  Church,  and  especially  of  mission 
aries  in  foreign  fields.  He  openly  opposed  the  mis 
sionaries  at  the  Sandwich  Islands,  Navigator's  Islands, 
and  other  islands  of  the  Pacific,  and  did  everything  in 
his  power  to  throw  obstructions  in  their  way.  From 
the  Pacific  he  shipped  to  Constantinople,  and  was 
there,  a  few  days  after  leaving  the  vessel,  seized  with 
the  cholera,  and  under  the  dreadful  shock  fell  help 
less  and  alone  in  the  streets.  I  have  heard  him  say  : 
"  While  I  lay  there  in  the  streets  of  Constantinople, 
dying,  as  I  believed,  I  thought  on  my  past  life,  and 
awoke  to  a  sense  of  my  dreadful  condition  as  a  sin 
ner  ;  I  felt  that  I  should  soon  be  in  hell ;  despair,  with 
all  its  horrors,  seized  my  soul  ;  and  thinking  that  it 
was  then  too  late  to  pray,  I  said  to  myself,  Why 
didn't  I  attend  to  that  before  ?  Why  didn't  some  one 
kindly  warn  me  of  my  danger  ?  I  had  a  father,  who 
once  made  a  profession  of  religion,  but  he  never  told 
me  what  a  dreadful  thing  it  is  to  die  in  sin,  and  go 
to  hell.  Why  didn't  some  preacher,  or  some  Chris 
tian  friend  tell  me  of  all  this  ?  No  man  hath  cared 
for  my  soul,  and  now  I'm  dying  in  the  streets  of  a 
foreign  city,  and  going  to  hell.  And,"  said  he,  "  in 
an  agony  of  despair,  I  cursed  the  day  of  my  birth,  and 
cursed  my  father  for  his  neglect,  and  cursed  the 
preachers,  and  cursed  the  Church;  and  then  my 
paroxysms  of  pain  would  come  on,  and  I  writhed  un 
der  the  scorching  rays  of  the  sun  till  life  was  almost 


308  CALIFORNIA    LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

gone ;  and  when  I  had  a  little  respite,  I  thought  of 
my  mother,  and  wept,  and  said,  '  O,  if  I  had  a  moth 
er's  care,  or  if  I  had  anybody  who  could  understand 
my  language,  I  could  tell  them  what  to  do  for  me, 
and  I  might  yet  live.  The  Turks  would  stop  and 
look  at  me,  and  jabber  to  each  other  and  pass  on. 

"  When  all  hope  had  gone  from  me,  a  man,  whom 
I  supposed  to  be  an  Englishman  or  an  American, 
came  and  looked  at  me,  and  I  thought,  O  that  he 
would  speak  to  me  in  a  language  I  can  understand ! 
He  spoke  to  me ;  but,  alas !  it  was  in  the  Turkish 
language.  Seeing  that  I  could  not  understand  him, 
he  addressed  me  in  my  own  mother  tongue  ;  such 
music  never  thrilled  my  soul  before.  He  spoke,  too, 
such  words  of  kindness  and  sympathy  as  never  before 
fell  on  my  guilty  ears.  He  had  me  taken  up  and 
conveyed  to  his  house,  and  under  his  skillful  treat 
ment  and  care  I  was  relieved  in  a  few  hours.  That 
good  Samaritan  was  an  American  missionary.  He 
saved  my  life ;  and,  more  than  that,  he  led  me  to 
Christ.  Three  days  after  my  recovery,  while  still  at 
his  house  under  his  instruction,  God,  for  Christ's 
sake,  spoke  my  sins  forgiven,  and  healed  my  soul." 

From  that  day  Brown  became  a  steadfast,  zealous 
Christian.  He  was  for  several  years  a  local  preacher 
in  my  charge  in  San  Francisco,  and  one  of  the  most 
efficient  workmen  I  had. 

I  received  a  request  from  the  "  Hawaiian  Tract 


CALIFORNIA  AS  A  MISSIONARY  FIELD.       309 

Society,"  a  few  years  ago,  to  send  them  a  colporteur 
for  Honolulu,  Sandwich  Islands.  I  sent  them  A.  M. 
Brown,  who  fulfilled  his  engagement  greatly  to  the 
satisfaction  of  the  society,  and  successfully  preached 
the  Gospel  in  the  very  port  where  once  he  had  so 
wickedly  opposed  it. 

But  however  important  and  glorious  the  foreign 
missionary  work,  I  believe  that  the  greatest  achieve 
ments  of  American  missionary  enterprise  are  now  in 
progress,  and  will  ere  long  be  accomplished,  through 
the  second  mode,  above  indicated.  "The  abundance 
of  the  sea "  is  now  being  "  converted,"  and  used, 
more  effectively  than  ever,  for  the  great  purposes  of 
the  Gospel.  The  nations  are  flowing  together  as 
they  never  did  before,  and  flowing  especially  in  all 
their  variety  to  Protestant  America. 

The  tide  of  emigration  from  European  nations  has 
been  rolling  in  for  more  than  a  century,  and  now  the 
tide  from  Eastern  heathen  nations  is  bearing  its  tens 
of  thousands  to  our  Pacific  shores.  What  glorious 
Gospel  achievements  have  already  been  gained 
among  those  resident  on  our  shores,  and  how  wonder 
ful  the  reflex  power  of  them  on  kindred  and  friends 
in  the  various  lands  whence  they  came,  and  how 
many,  like  the  "Parthians,  and  Medes,  and  Elamites, 
and  dwellers  in  Mesopotamia,"  etc.,  have  gone  back 
to  tell  of  the  "  wonderful  works  of  God,"  through  all 
the  countries  whence  they  came.  Mark  the  success 


310  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

of  American  Christian  missions  in  the  Republic  of 
Liberia.  See  the  success  of  Methodist  missions 
among  the  Scandinavians  in  this  country,  and  the 
missions  now  being  successfully  established  by  con 
verted  Swedes  and  Danes,  in  Denmark  and  Sweden. 
Especially  note  the  extraordinary  success  of  Meth 
odist  missions  among  the  Germans,  first  in  this  coun 
try,  and  then,  by  a  kind  of  reflex  power,  in  the 
"  Father-land,"  waking  up  the  German  mind  from  the 
dreams  of  rationalism  and  dead  formality.  The  Ger 
man  missionaries  sent  back  from  this  country  to  Ger 
many,  have  accomplished  more  good  within  the  last 
twelve  years,  by  preaching  the  Gospel  in  their  ver 
nacular  language,  than  the  same  number  of  men  of 
any  other  nation  or  language  could  have  accom 
plished  there  in  fifty  years.  They  now  have  a  mis 
sion  conference  there,  which  held  its  first  session  in 
September,  1857,  Bishop  Simpson  presiding. 

The  Methodist  mission  in  China  was  commenced 
about  the  same  time  that  Brother  Jacoby  was  sent 
back  to  Germany,  and  after  all  the  toil,  and  expense, 
and  sacrifice  of  life  which  have  been  given  to  the 
Chinese  mission,  those  zealous  missionaries  have 
never  yet  been  able  to  report  the  conversion  of  more 
than  six  Chinamen.  I  do  not  mean  to  institute  any 
invidious  comparisons,  or  to  say  one  word  against 
the  Chinese  mission. 

The  mission  is  necessary  and  must  be  sustained, 


CHINESE    FEMALES. 


CALIFORNIA    AS    A    MISSIONARY    FIELD.       313 

but  what  I  wish  to  say  is,  that  if  the  Lord  in  his  wise 
providence  has  no  other  mode  for  the  conversion  of 
China,  it  will  be  a  long  time  before  her  three  hun 
dred  and  sixty  millions  of  heathens  will  hear  the 
Gospel.  Let  any  man  fond  of  arithmetical  calcula 
tions  tell  us  how  many  men,  and  how  much  money, 
and  how  long  a  period  of  time  will  be  required  for 
the  conversion  of  the  Chinese  Empire  by  the  present 
mode? 

But  let  the  wisdom  and  mercy  of  God  be  adored, 
he  has  another  mode  which  is  already  beginning 
to  shed  the  light  of  hope  on  the  future  of  China. 
The  Missionary  Society  is  supporting  a  few  men  in 
China,  who  have  to  devote  half  a  dozen  years  in 
acquiring  the  language  so  as  to  gain  access  to  the 
Chinese  mind,  and  then  a  dozen  years  more  will  be 
necessary  to  wear  off  their  prejudices  against  foreign 
ers,  so  as  to  give  them  access  to  the  Chinese  heart. 

But,  in  the  mean  time,  God  in  his  providence  has 
forty  thousand  long-cued  fellows  in  California,  at  no 
expense  to  anybody,  studying  the  English  language, 
through  which  the  Gospel  message  will  reach  their 
hearts,  and  then,  they,  by  the  thousand,  it  may  be,  can 
return  on  the  principle  we  have  illustrated,  and  carry 
the  tidings  of  salvation  to  the  perishing  millions  of 
their  own  land.  True,  but  little  has  been  done  as 
yet,  in  the  way  of  direct  Christian  effort,  for  the  con 
version  of  the  Chinese  in  California.  Rev.  William 


314  CALIFORNIA   LITE   ILLUSTEATED. 

Speer,  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  formerly  a  mis 
sionary  in  China,  built  a  good  brick  Chinese  Church 
in  San  Francisco,  organized  a  small  society  of  China 
men,  preached  to  them  for  several  years  in  their  own 
language,  organized  a  Sunday  school  among  them, 
where  they  were  taught  the  rudiments  of  the  English 
language,  and  also,  for  a  time,  published  a  Chinese 
paper  in  San  Francisco.  Mr.  Speer's  health  failing, 
he  has  for  a  season  suspended  his  labors.  Rev.  Mr. 
Shuck,  of  the  Baptist  Church,  formerly  a  missionary 
in  China,  has  built  a  Chinese  chapel  in  Sacramento 
City,  where  he,  in  connection  with  a  pastoral  charge 
of  his  own  people,  preaches  to  the  Chinamen  in  their 
own  language.  Besides  those  two  enterprises,  I 
know  of  no  direct  organized  effort  for  the  salvation  of 
the  men  of  China.  A  Methodist  preacher  takes  hold 
of  one  sometimes  and  teaches  him  letters,  and  gives 
him  Gospel  teaching.  Rev.  S.  B.  Rooney  reported 
a  very  hopeful  conversion  of  a  Chinaman  at  our  con 
ference  in  1856. 

But  though  so  little  direct  effort  has  been  put  forth 
by  the  Church  in  this  direction,  still,  much  has  been 
done,  and  the  way  is  being  prepared,  in  the  order  of 
Providence,  for  their  conversion  by  and  by.  They 
acquire  our  language  with  considerable  facility. 
They  soon  become  impressed  with  our  superiority 
over  them,  and  so  soon  begin  to  give  up  their  national 
prejudices  and  exclusiveness.  When  a  Chinaman 


CALIFORNIA    AS    A    MISSIONARY    FIELD.       31 7 

arrives  in  San  Francisco,  with  his  turban  cap,  wide 
trowsers,  and  wooden  shoes,  he  enters  with  the  pre 
vailing  idea  of  his  people,  namely,  that  he  belongs  to 
the  most  enlightened,  enterprising,  and  pious  nation 
under  the  sun ;  but  after  he  stares  a  few  days  at  our 
magnificent  buildings,  gas-lighted  streets,  and  ma 
chinery  of  various  kinds,  our  splendid  steamers,  etc., 
and  sees  the  enterprise  and  energy  exhibited  by  Amer 
icans,  and  others  whom  he  always  before  regarded 
as  barbarians,  he  wilts  right  down  like  Jonah's  gourd, 
feels  as  though  he  was  nobody,  and  all  his  people  in 
the  same  class  with  himself.  The  next  idea  which 
seems  to  strike  him,  is  that  perhaps  he  may,  having 
such  models  to  work  by,  become  somebody  after  all, 
"be  same  as  von  Melican  man;"  and  the  next  time 
you  see  him  you  discover  that  he  has  shed  off  his 
native  costume  as  clean  as  a  snake  in  spring-time, 
and  has  come  out  in  full  American  rig — hat,  coat, 
pants,  and  the  biggest  boots  in  town.  The  self-con 
ceited,  prejudiced,  haughty  Chinaman  has  been  con 
verted  into  "  von  Melican  man,"  with  a  full  desire 
and  purpose  to  learn,  and  talk,  and  be  "just  same  as 
any  other  Melican  man." 

From  that  time  he  begins  to  learn  the  English 
language  and  pry  into  everything. 

I  preached  one  night  in  the  summer  of  1855  in 
M'Ginnis's  provision  store-room,  at  Twelve  Mile  Bar, 
on  the  east  branch  of  the  North  fork  of  Feather 


318  CALIFOKNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTKATED. 

River.  A  large  proportion  of  my  congregation  were 
Chinamen,  who  appeared  to  listen  with  great  atten 
tion.  Among  them  there  was  a  tall  intelligent-look 
ing  fellow  whom  they  called  "  Chippee."  I  was  told 
that  he  had  been  in  the  country  only  about  six 
months.  Chippee  not  only  appeared  to  listen  attent 
ively,  but  took  out  his  pencil  and  went  to  noting 
down  such  thoughts  as  he  could  gather  from  the  dis 
course,  on  a  piece  of  wrapping-paper  which  lay  on 
the  counter,  as  gravely  as  a  New-York  reporter. 
The  next  morning  the  clerk  of  the  store  observed 
him  transferring  his  notes  from  the  wrapping-paper 
into  a  book  or  journal,  and  asked  him  to  translate 
them  into  English. 

Then  said  Chippee :  "  What  you  call  him  talk  las 
night?" 

"That  was  Mr.  Taylor,  from  San  Francisco,"  re 
plied  the  clerk. 

He  noted  the  name  in  his  book,  and  then  said, 
looking  and  pointing  upward  :  "  What  you  call  him, 
Him — Fader,  big  Fader,  up !  up !  What  you  call 
HIM?" 

"  We  call  him  God,"  answered  the  clerk. 

So  he  noted  that  in  his  journal  also. 

He  then  gave  the  following  brief  translation  of  his 
notes  from  the  wrapping-paper,  which  I  now  have  in 
my  possession : 

"Tell  all  men,  no  gamble;  tell  all  men,  no  steal 


CALIFORNIA  AS  A  MISSIONARY  FIELD.        319 

em  gold;  tell  all  men,  no  steal  ern  cargo;  tell  all 
men,  no  talk  em  lies ;  tell  all  men  to  be  very  good 
men." 

That  was  the  first  sermon  Chippee  ever  heard,  and 
those  were  the  ideas  he  gathered  from  it.  What  the 
spirit  of  inquiry  thus  awakened  in  his  mind  may  lead 
to,  who  can  tell?  But  besides  the  forty  thousand 
Chinamen  referred  to,  whose  numbers  are  every  year 
increasing,  we  have  in  California  the  representatives 
of  all  other  nations.  What  St.  Peter  saw  in  vision, 
on  the  house-top  of  Simon  the  tanner,  is  exhibited  in 
fact,  in  California,  and  none  of  them  common  or 
unclean,  nor  excluded  from  the  covenant  of  mercy, 
but  all  are  subjects  of  redeeming  love,  and  living 
objects  of  the  Saviour's  sympathy  and  intercessions. 

What  I  said  of  the  Chinese  is  true  of  the  rest ;  they 
are  learning  our  language  and  our  civilization,  and 
the  way  is  opening  for  their  reception  of  the  Gospel, 
and  thence  they  may  bear  the  news  to  the  ends  of 
the  earth.  It  has  been  my  lot  to  preach  the  Gospel 
hundreds  of  times,  if  not  to  every  creature,  at  least 
to  specimen  representatives  of  all  the  creatures,  I 
suppose,  of  human  kind  in  this  lower  world. 

The  following  account  of  preaching  the  Gospel  to 
all  the  world  in  San  Francisco  is  given  in  the 
"  Annals ;"  due  allowance  must  be  made  for  the 
writer's  poetical  allusion  to  the  singing  on  the 
occasion : 


320  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

"  Suddenly  from  the  piazza  of  an  old  adobe  on  the 
Plaza  arises  the  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilder 
ness.  He  'raises'  a  hymn  in  a  voice  which  would 
be  dreadful  in  its  power  were  it  not  melodious. 
Hark!  you  may  hear  the  words  half  a  mile  off. 
The  City  Hall  sends  back  the  echo  like  a  sounding- 
board.  You  may  stand  at  the  foot  of  Merchant- 
street  and  distinguish  every  sentence:  'The  chariot! 
the  chariot !  its  wheels  roll  in  fire !'  Had  the  vehicle 
spoken  of  really  rolled  over  the  planked  streets  of  the 
city,  it  is  doubtful  if  the  tumult  of  its  lumbering 
wheels  could  have  drowned  the  voice  of  him  who 
was  thus  describing,  in  thunder-like  music,  its 
advent. 

"  That  voice  at  once  arrests  attention.  The  loiterer 
turns  aside  from,  his  careless  walk,  stops,  and  listens. 
The  miner,  in  his  slouched  hat  and  high  boots,  hears 
the  sounds  of  worship,  recollects  the  day,  thinks  of 
the  home  and  the  dear  ones  far  away,  and  of  the 
hours  when  he,  too,  worshiped  with  them  in  the  old 
church  pew,  in  the  country  town,  with  the  graves  of 
the  rude  forefathers  of  the  village  visible  from  the 
spot  where  he  sat ;  the  old  elm-trees  bending  grace 
fully  beneath  the  weight  of  years  and  foliage,  over 
the  dust  of  those  who  planted  them ;  and  where  he 
listened  to  the  trembling  words  of  the  gray -haired 
old  clergyman  as  he  read,  or  spoke  from  that  old- 
fashioned  pulpit,  and  he  joins  the  motley  crowd. 


CALIFORNIA  AS  A    MISSIONARY   FIELD.        321 

The  loafing  Mexican  arouses  from  his  reverie,  and 
from  the  smoke  of  his  cigarette,  gives  an  extra  puff 
from  his  nostrils,  throws  his  variegated  serape  over 
his  left  shoulder,  leans  against  the  fence,  and  listens 
to  words  which  he  does  not  understand. 

"  John  Chinaman  passes  along,  and,  seeing  books, 
and  being  of  a  literary  turn,  ceases  to  jabber  in  the 
language  of  Confucius,  joins  the  outskirts  of  the  com 
pany,  and  risks  the  integrity  of  his  yard-long  queue 
among  the  '  outside  barbarians.' 

"  The  Malay,  with  his  red-pointed  cap,  stops  a 
moment  to  wonder,  and,  perhaps,  forgets  a  while  the 
well-known  trade  of  piracy  when  listening  to  a 
Gospel  which  he  cannot  comprehend. 

"It  is  not  long  ere  there  is  a  sufficient  audience. 
The  singing  has  brought  together  the  congregation. 
There  is  room  enough  for  all.  The  worship  pro 
gresses.  Prayer,  singing,  reading  of  the  Scriptures, 
text  and  sermon  follow.  All  can  hear,  all  can  see ; 
there  is  no  sexton  nor  usher,  nor  is  one  needed.  It 
is  a  primitive  service,  very  earnest,  and  by  no  means 
ridiculous."— P.  671. 

I  think  I  never  felt  a  greater  thrill  of  pleasure  in 
proclaiming  a  free  Gospel  to  the  human  varieties  of 
California,  than  I  did  one  Sunday  morning  a  few 
years  ago  on  Long  Wharf  in  San  Francisco.  It  hap 
pened  that  morning,  when  the  time  came  for  my 
wharf  appointment,  that  I  was  minus  a  text.  I  was 

19 


322  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

caught  in  the  same  embarrassing  dilemma  once  be 
fore,  on  my  way  to  preach  on  the  Plaza,  but  as  I 
passed  along  I  saw  a  poor  inebriate  lying  in  the 
sand,  with  his  face  downward,  drawing  with  every 
breath  the  sand  into  his  nostrils,  and  as  temperance 
sermons  were  in  order  occasionally  on  the  Plaza,  be 
ing  a  place  notorious  for  rum  holes,  I  resolved,  as  I 
looked  at  the  poor  fellow,  to  preach  that  afternoon  a 
sermon  on  temperance.  When  I  had  sung  up  my 
crowd,  I  said  to  them :  "You  may  find  the  text  re 
corded  on  a  sand-bank  in  front  of  the  General  Jack 
son  House,  in  First-street." 

Then  said  I,  "  It  is  usual  in  sermonizing  to  insti 
tute  inquiries  something  like  these : 

"  I.  What  are  the  facts  in  this  case  ? 

"  II.  What  are  the  causes  or  occasions  of  those  facts? 

"  III.  What  are  the  consequences  ?" 

With  that  arrangement  I  proceeded  and  had  a  good 
time,  but  waked  up  a  great  excitement  among  the 
rum-sellers.  Opening  our  fires  right  at  the  mouth 
of  their  dens,  there  was  no  popping  at  a  man  of 
straw,  or  sham-fighting.  When  I  succeeded  in  mak 
ing  out  a  case,  I  pointed  out  my  man,  and  the  home- 
thrust  of  the  prophet  Nathan  to  the  guilty  king  of 
Israel,  "Thou  art  the  man,"  was  backed  by  the  con 
centrated  gaze  of  a  thousand  listeners.  Such  thrusts 
were  hard  to  bear,  but  harder  to  resist,  and  the  guilty, 
after  one  cry  of  complaint,  usually  got  out  of  sight. 


CALIFORNIA   AS   A   MISSIONARY   FIELD.        323 

On  the  Sunday  morning  above  referred  to,  I  found 
no  drunken  man  to  suggest  a  theme,  but  I  met  a 
brother  who  said,  "  Good  morning,  Brother  Taylor  ; 
what's  the  news  this  morning  ?" 

"  Good  news,  my  brother,  good  news !  Jesus  Christ 
died  for  sinners."  Said  I  to  myself,  "  I've  got  it." 

So  on  I  went,  and  took  my  stand  on  the  head  of  a 
whisky  barrel  in  front  of  the  worst  rum  hole  in  the 
city ;  if  there  could  be  a  worse  one  it  was  at  the  op 
posite  corner,  just  across  the  street.  I  guess  the  latter 
was  the  worst,  for  they  would  not  let  me  preach  in 
front  of  it.  I  preached  there  a  few  times,  and  the 
proprietor  sent  me  word  that  I  blocked  up  the  street, 
and  cut  off  access  to  his  house,  and  he  didn't  want 
rne  to  preach  there  any  more. 

The  next  Sunday  after  I  received  his  message,  I 
stood  on  a  pile  of  wood  about  thirty  feet  from  his 
door,  and  by  way  of  apology  for  changing  my  pulpit, 
said  to  the  people  :  "  That  man  there  complains  that 
I  block  up  the  entrance  to  his  house,  and  forbids 
my  preaching  there  any  more.  He  is  a  gate-keeper 
of  the  way  to  hell,  and  is  bound  to  keep  the  passage 
clear,  so  that  all  who  are  silly  enough  to  go  to  hell 
may  walk  in  without  hinderance.  He's  a  generous 
soul,  is  he  not '?  Moreover,  a  man  who  steals  God's 
holy  day,  and  spends  it  in  the  work  of  human  de 
struction,  can't  afford  to  lose  an  hour  of  it." 

Then  the  proprietor  of  the  opposition  death  line  on 


324  CALIFORNIA    LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

the  other  side  of  the  street,  sent  me  word  that  I  might 
preach  in  front  of  his  place.  He  rued  his  "bargain 
once  or  twice,  and  tried  to  run  me  off,  but  I  stood 
fire,  held  my  ground,  and  turned  his  empty  whisky 
barrels  to  good  account,  by  preaching  perhaps  a  hun 
dred  sermons  from  them. 

On  the  occasion  I  was  going  to  describe,  I  sung 
together  a  vast  crowd,  of  such  a  variety  of  human 
kind  as  never  was  seen  except  in  California.  Peter's 
congregation  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  for  variety, 
was  but  a  small  affair  compared  with  it.  When  the 
songs  ended,  I  said  :  "  Good  morning,  gentlemen  ;  I 
am  glad  to  see  you  this  bright  Sabbath  of  the  Lord. 
What's  the  news?  Thank  the  Lord,  I  have  good 
news  for  you  this  morning:  'Behold,  I  bring  you 
good  tidings  of  great  joy,  which  shall  be  to  all 
people.' ':  I  then  addressed  them  as  individual  rep 
resentatives  of  the  different  nations  thus :  "  My 
French  brother,  look  here !"  He  looked,  with  earn 
est  eye  and  ear,  while  I  told  him  what  Jesus  had 
done  for  him  and  his  people.  "  Brother  Spaniard,  I 
have  tidings  for  you,  seilor,"  and  told  him  the  news, 
and  requested  him  to  tell  his  people.  "  My  Ha 
waiian  brother,  don't  you  want  to  hear  the  news  this 
morning?  I  have  glad  tidings  of  great  joy  for  you, 
sir."  I  then  told  him  the  news,  and  that  his  island 
should  "  wait  for  the  law  "  of  Jesus,  together  with 
other  "  isles."  "  John  Chinaman,  you,  John,  there 


CALIFORNIA    AS    A    MISSION AEY    FIELD.       325 

by  that  post,  look  here,  my  good  fellow,  I've  got 
something  to  tell  you,"  etc.  Thus  I  traveled,  as  it 
were,  over  all  creation,  calling  by  name  all  the 
different  nations  I  could  think  of,  recognizing  their 
representatives  before  me,  and  I  felt  unspeakably 
happy  in  the  fact,  that  throughout  creation's  vast 
realm  I  could  not  find  a  rebel  to  whom  I  could 
not  extend  the  hand  of  hearty  Christian  sympathy, 
and  say,  I  have  good  news  to  tell  you,  my  brother, 
"glad  tidings  of  great  joy,  which  shall  be  to  all 
people."  When  I  had  got  round,  as  I  thought,  an 
Irishman  in  the  congregation  spoke  out  and  said  : 

"And  may  it  plase  your  riverence,  and  have  ye 
nothing  good  for  a  poor  Irishman  ?" 

"Why,"  my  dear  Irish  brother,  "I  ask  your  par 
don,  sir,"  I  replied,  "  I  did  not  mean  to  pass  you  by. 
Thank  the  Lord,  I  have  good  news  for  you,  my 
brother.  Jesus  Christ,  by  the  grace  of  God,  tasted 
death  for  every  Irishman  on  the  Emerald  Isle  ;  and 
let  me  tell  you,  my  brother,  that  if  you  will  this 
morning  renounce  all  your  sins,  and  submit  to  the 
will  of  God,  Jesus,  your  Saviour,  will  grant  you  a  free 
pardon,  and  clean  all  the  sins  and  all  the  devils  out  of 
your  heart  as  effectually  as  your  people  say  St.  Pat 
rick  cleared  the  snakes  and  toads  out  of  Ireland." 

"  Thank  you,  sir,"  said  he,  "  I  raly  belave  ivery 
word  you  say,  and  I'll  try  and  be  a  betther  man." 

There  is,  beyond  a  doubt,   a  spirit  of  inquiry  at 


326  CALLFOBNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

work  in  the  dark  minds  of  heathen  and  semi-heathen 
foreigners  in  California,  in  regard  to  our  institutions, 
civilization,  and  religion ;  and  when  they  become 
familiar  with  our  language,  and  with  our  Bible, 
the  light  will  break  upon  them  as  upon  the  mind  of 
Martin  Luther,  when  he  found  the  chained  Bible. 

An  intelligent-looking  Italian  came  to  me  to  know 
where  he  could  get  an  Italian  Bible.  "  A  Spanish 
Bible  will  do,"  said  he ;  "  I  can  read  Spanish  pretty 
well,  but  I  prefer  an  Italian  Bible,  as  I  want  to  read 
to  my  companions."  He  informed  me  that  he  was 
one  of  a  party  of  twelve  Italian  refugees,  who  took 
part  in  the  revolution  of  1848,  and  had  to  flee  for 
their  lives ;  said  that  he  and  his  party  had  been  in 
California  eighteen  months,  and  had  often  heard  me 
preach  in  the  streets,  and  were  anxious  to  become 
acquainted  with  our  Bible  and  the  Protestant  re 
ligion.  They  liked  the  preaching  so  far  as  they 
could  understand  it,  and  thought  that  was  just  the 
religion  the  Italians  needed.  I  went  with  him,  and 
he  got  a  Bible  from  a  branch  depository  of  that 
glorious  institution,  the  American  Bible  Society. 

The  Italian  afterward  told  me  that  he  and  his  com 
panions  were  delighted  with  the  great  things  they 
found  in  the  Bible.  He  said  they  spent  their  even 
ings  in  reading  and  talking  about  it. 

Those  fellows  despised  oppression.  I  saw  a  Span 
iard  in  Clay-street  one  day  beating  his  little  boy. 


CALIFORNIA   AS   A   MISSIONARY   FIELD.         327 

Several  of  those  Italians  happened  at  the  time  to  be 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  and  as  soon  as  they 
heard  the  cries  of  the  little  fellow,  they  ran  across 
the  street,  and  knocked  the  Spaniard  to  the  pavement 
almost  as  suddenly  as  if  he  had  been  shot,  and  took 
charge  of  the  boy.  I  happening  to  know  the  boy, 
took  him  by  the  hand  and  conveyed  him  to  his 
mother. 

The  next  time  I  saw  the  Italians,  they  ran  across 
the  street  to  meet  me,  and  inquired  very  particularly 
about  the  welfare  of  the  little  boy  for  whom  they  had 
fought. 

A  company  of  Maltese  lived  near  me  for^  several 
years.  I  gave  them  a  Testament,  and  told  them 
about  St.  Paul's  shipwreck  and  sojourn  on  their 
native  island,  and  how  well  their  ancient  ancestors 
treated  the  servant  of  God.  They  seemed  as  much 
delighted  with  the  book  as  if  I  had  given  them  the 
family  records  of  their  fathers. 

A  company  of  Manilla  men  wintered  near  me  dur 
ing  the  winter  of  1849-50.  I  used  to  tell  them  about 
Jesus,  and  they  attended  my  preaching  in  "  the  high 
ways."  They  could  not,  at  that  early  day,  under 
stand  much  English,  but  to  show  their  appreciation 
of  their  preacher,  when  in  the  spring  they  were  about 
leaving  for  the  mountains,  they  brought  me  a  pres 
ent,  consisting  of  a  variety  of  their  native  tools,  etc. 

One  Sunday,  as  I  was  preaching  in  Washington- 


328  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

street,  I  observed  in  the  congregation  an  old  Italian 
weeping.  At  the  close  of  service  he  grasped  my 
hand: 

"  O,  dat  what  I  like ;  tell  everybody  'bout  Jesus ; 
I  never  saw  such  free  preaching  and  free  Jesus  be 
fore.  O,  I  likes  it !  When  you  preach  again  ?" 

"This  afternoon,  on  the  Plaza,  at  four  o'clock," 
said  I. 

"  O,  I'll  be  there !     I  likes  it !" 

"  Are  you  acquainted  with  Jesus  ?"  said  I. 

"  O  yes,  bless  de  Lord,  I'se  got  him  right  in  here," 
replied  he,  putting  his  hand  on  his  breast ;  "  I  loves 
him  wid  all  my  heart." 

I  saw  him  at  preaching  several  times  afterward. 
He  always  took  his  stand  close  in  front  of  me,  and 
gazed,  and  listened,  and  wept,  and  seemed  to  enter 
almost  into  the  spirit  of  good  old  Simeon.  I  have 
no  doubt  that  he  enjoyed  the  pardoning  mercy  of 
God,  and  was  ready,  like  Simeon,  at  the  call  of  his 
Master  to  say :  "  Lord,  now  lettest  thou  thy  servant 
depart  in  peace,  according  to  thy  word:  for  mine 
eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation,  which  thou  hast  pre 
pared  before  the  face  of  all  people  ;  a  light  to  lighten 
the  Gentiles,  and  the  glory  of  thy  people  Israel." 

At  an  experience  meeting  in  our  Seamen's  Bethel 
in  San  Francisco,  a  Prussian  arose,  and  said  : 

"  I  come  to  California  to  git  golt ;  now  I  don't  care 
about  de  golt ;  I  want  to  find  dat  Yaesus  you  all 


CALIFORNIA    AS    A    MISSIONARY    FIELD.         329 

talk  about.  I  believe  lie  is  my  friend  too,  and  I  want 
to  find  him.  De  handt  of  God  lias  been  heavy  upon 
me  since  I  be  in  California ;  he  shakes  me,  he  shakes 
me  now.  I  dream  de  odder  night  dat  I  was  dying,  and 
a  great  pig  snake  had  me,  and  just  as  my  breadt  was 
almost  gone,  Brodder  Taylor  came  along  and  knock 
de  snake  away,  and  help  me  up.  I  didn't  know 
Brodder  Taylor  den,  but  dis  is  de  man  dat  knock  de 
snake  off,  and  dis  is  Brodder  Taylor.  De  snake  is 
de  debil;  O  Brodder  Taylor,  and  all  you  brodders, 
will  you  pray  for  me,  and  help  me  get  away  from  de 
debil,  and  find  Yaesus  ?" 

We  all  prayed  earnestly  for  him,  and  he  was 
clearly  converted  to  God.  As  soon  as  he  found 
Jesus,  he  said  he  wanted  to  go  back  to  his  own 
country  to  tell  his  mother  about  Jesus;  and  about 
a  year  afterward  he  took  passage,  saying  he  was 
going  home  to  tell  his  mother  about  Jesus.  I  have 
seen  a  number  of  Scandinavians  converted  in  San 
Francisco ;  and  the  first  thing  a  converted  young 
Dane,  or  Swede,  or  Norwegian  talks  about  when  he 
finds  Jesus,  is  his  "dear  mudder."  They  want  to 
go  straightway  and  tell  "mudder"  all  about  it. 

We  have,  in  connection  with  Yreka  station  in  Siski- 
you  County,  about  four  hundred  miles  north  of  San 
Francisco,  a  class  of,  I  believe,  eighteen  Methodist 
Kanakas,  Sandwich  Islanders.  They  have  one  of  their 
own  men  for  leader ;  and  Brother  Stratton,  who  was 


330  CALIFOK1XTA   LIFE   ILLUSTKATED. 

their  pastor  a  couple  of  years,  represented  them  in 
conference  as  being  very  pious  and  consistent,  at 
tended  class  regularly,  and  contributed  voluntarily 
and  liberally  for  the  support  of  their  pastor.  And 
while  the  masses  of  Americans  around  them  paid 
no  regard  to  the  Sabbath,  those  converted  heathens 
spent  it  only  in  songs  of  praise,  and  in  other  religious 
exercises.  There  are  many  hinderances  to  oppose 
the  spread  of  the  Gospel  among  the  heathen  and 
semi-heathen  of  California,  especially  the  example  of 
God-hating,  Christ-rejecting,  Sabbath-breaking,  over 
reaching,  profane  English  and  Americans,  the  lead 
ing  representatives  of  Protestant  Christian  nations, 
whose  influence  has  spread  over  the  land  a  universal 
moral  blight,  which  for  a  time  seemed  to  consume, 
like  the  locusts  of  Egypt,  every  green  thing. 

But  now,  thank  the  Lord !  the  spring-time  of 
religious  life  has  come ;  much  that  seemed  to  be 
dead  has  revived,  and  all  over  the  country  are  seen 
buds  and  blossoms,  and  "fruit  unto  holiness;"  and 
songs  in  the  vales  are  heard,  like  the  songs  of  the 
ancient  captive  people  of  God  when  returning  and 
coming  to  Zion.  Notwithstanding  all  past  and 
present  obstructions,  the  Church  may  command 
greater  facilities  for  the  conversion  of  the  heathen  in 
California  than  she  can  have  in  a  foreign  field.  In 
the  first  place,  as  we  have  shown,  their  contact  with 
American  ingenuity  and  energy  knocks  their  national 


CALIFORNIA   AS    A   MISSION AEY   FIELD.       331 

pride  and  prejudice  into  the  dust,  and  they  are 
almost  imperceptibly,  as  by  a  ground  swell,  borne  up 
on  the  tide  of  American  civilization.  They  at  once 
feel  that  they  are  dependents,  and  soon  become  imi 
tators  of  their  superiors.  Thus  some  of  the  great 
est  obstructions  to  the  foreign  missionary's  success 
are  carried  away  before  the  Church  makes  a  direct 
effort  for  their  salvation.  Again,  a  foreign  missionary 
cannot,  ordinarily,  till  after  many  years  of  labor, 
exhibit  to  the  heathen  the  light  of  Christian  example, 
except  that  of  his  own  experience  and  conduct.  He 
has  no  means  of  giving  them  an  example  of  the  prac 
tical  effect  of  religion  in  society.  There  are  many 
persons,  even  in  Christian  lands,  who  think  that  re 
ligion  is  only  suited  for  preachers  and  men  of  leisure, 
and  not  at  all  adapted  to  the  active  relations  of 
business  and  social  life,  and  such  a  conclusion  would 
be  most  natural  to  the  mind  of  a  heathen.  To  place 
a  foreign  missionary,  therefore,  on  anything  like 
equal  footing,  in  this  regard,  with  the  Church  in 
California,  we  must  export  to  his  field  of  labor 
Christian  merchants  and  mechanics,  blacksmiths, 
carpenters,  etc.,  and  Christian  farmers  and  house 
wives,  etc. ;  in  short,  a  Christian  colony. 

In  California  the  heathen  are  learning,  and  will 
yet  learn  more  perfectly  to  discriminate  between  the 
mere  subjects  of  Christian  nations,  and  the  Chris 
tians  in  fact;  and  there  the  missionary  has  at  once 


332  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

the  advantage  of  a  living  exemplification  of  Chris 
tianity  in  every  department  of  business  and  social 
life,  to  set  before  his  heathen  brother. 

Let  any  man  weigh  the  facts  we  have  in  part  indi 
cated,  and  he  will  see  that  the  gold  magnet  of  Cali 
fornia  was  pointed  by  an  all-wise  and  merciful  Prov 
idence,  for  the  purpose  of  attracting  and  enriching 
the  nations,  not  in  gold,  but  godliness  ;  and  that  when 
these  "  strangers  and  foreigners  "  shall  have  acquired 
our  language,  and  some  knowledge  of  the  institutions 
of  Christianity,  a  Pentecostal  gust  of  glory  may  burst 
upon  them,  and  they  by  thousands  see  and  experi 
ence  "  the  wonderful  works  of  God,"  and  return  to 
their  homes  God's  own  embassadors,  to  carry  the 
truce  flag  of  redeeming  mercy  to  their  perishing 
brethren,  and  declare  to  them  in  their  own  vernac 
ular  tongue,  the  royal  proclamation  of  peace  and  par 
don  through  the  blood  of  Jesus.  Upon  a  careful 
review  of  the  foregoing  facts,  taken  together  with  the 
proximity  of  California  to  the  heathen  millions  of 
Asia,  and  Japan,  and  Oceanica,  etc.,  and  her  con 
stant  inter-communication  with  them,  I  come  to 
the  deliberate  conclusion  that  California  is  to-day, 
in  the  openings  of  Providence,  the  most  import 
ant  missionary  field  under  the  sun.  "The  harvest 
truly  is  plenteous,  but  the  laborers  are  few :  pray 
ye  therefore  the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  that  he  will 
send  forth  laborers  into  his  harvest." 


BIT    OF    EXPERIENCE.  333 


CHAPTEE  XII. 

BIT   OF   EXPERIENCE CONCLUSION. 

FOR  the  information  of  my  friends  who  inquire 
why  I  am  here,  five  thousand  miles  from  my  confer 
ence,  and  my  California  field  of  labor,  and  when  I 
expect  to  return,  I  will  very  briefly  insert  a  bit  of  my 
experience. 

After  organizing  the  Powell-street  Church  in  San 
Francisco — the  first  Methodist  Episcopal  society  in 
California — which  I  served  two  years,  I  was  appoint 
ed  to  establish  in  that  port  a  seamen's  Bethel  enter 
prise,  which  was  to  comprise  the  erection  of  a  large 
church  for  the  seamen  and  sojourners  of  the  nations 
who  were  constantly  thronging  our  streets,  and  the 
establishment  of  a  home  for  the  shipwrecked  and  des 
titute  mariners  of  all  seas  as  they  were  crowded  upon 
us.  I  commenced  without  a  dollar's  worth  of  patron 
age  from  any  source,  except  what  spontaneously 
sprang  up  in  the  streets  of  that  city  in  connection 
with  out-door  preaching ;  but  we  proceeded  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  and  the  people,  and  within  a 
period  of  two  years  we  completed  a  church  forty 


334  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

by  ninety  feet,  plain  and  substantial,  the  best  church 
at  that  time  in  the  state,  besides  a  good  parsonage, 
and  had  a  church  property  worth  in  the  market, 
above  all  indebtedness,  thirty-four  thousand  dollars; 
and,  what  was  better,  the  Lord  was  with  us  in  great 
mercy,  awakening  and  converting  sinners,  so  that 
the  "  Bethel  enterprise "  was  considered  the  most 
glorious  work  connected  with  our  conference. 

Up  to  this  time  the  Home  department  of  the  enter 
prise  had  not  been  commenced,  while  the  necessity 
demanding  such  an  institution  in  that  port  was 
keenly  felt  from  the  beginning.  Finally,  in  the 
progress  of  improvements  in  that  part  of  the  city, 
an  opportunity  presented  itself  by  which  the  trustees 
of  our  enterprise  saw  clearly,  as  they  believed,  that 
if  they  could  obtain  a  loan  of  the  funds  necessary  to 
put  up  the  Home  building,  that  certain  available 
resources  in  hand  (the  nature  of  which  we  have  not 
room  here  to  explain,  nor  is  it  necessary)  would  in 
due  time  refund  the  money,  and  we  would  then  have 
our  enterprise  completed  and  out  of  debt,  without 
having  to  make  any  further  demands  on  public  be 
nevolence  ;  a  most  desirable  consummation. 

The  trustees  found,  however,  that  while  moneyed 
men  were  satisfied  with  their  securities — the  lot  on 
which  the  Bethel  stood,  and  the  one  on  which  they 
contemplated  the  erection  of  the  Home — they  were 
not  willing  to  take  the  names  of  a  Church  corpora- 


BIT    OF    EXPEEIENCE.  335 

tion.  They  demanded,  in  connection  with  those  secu 
rities,  a  responsible  personal  name.  "  Father  Tay 
lor's  "  name  was  proposed  and  accepted.  It  was  a 
matter  of  no  secular  interest  to  me,  and  involved  a 
heavy  pecuniary  responsibility  ;  but  having  long  be 
fore  consecrated  myself  to  the  Lord  and  his  cause, 
and  shrinking  from  no  responsibility  that  seemed  ne 
cessary  and  safe,  and  the  basis  being  considered  by 
all  parties  ample  security  against  all  contingences,  I 
consented  to  that  arrangement,  got  the  funds  without 
difficulty,  and  made  the  proposed  improvements,  my 
conference  indorsing  it  as  one  of  the  grandest  enter 
prises  of  the  day.  So  it  seemed  to  all  observers  in 
the  light  of  California  progress  at  that  time. 

For  a  season  everything  went  on  prosperously,  but 
a  tide  of  reverses  soon  set  in,  affecting  the  business  of 
the  entire  state,  depreciating  everything,  and  espe 
cially  San  Francisco  real  estate.  In  the  midst  of  the 
pressure  along  came  a  devouring  fire,  which  swal 
lowed  up  our  late  improvements  in  an  hour,  and  our 
"  broad  and  reliable  basis "  had  by  this  time  nar 
rowed  down  by  the  general  depreciation  until,  like 
the  prophet's  bedstead,  it  was  quite  too  short  to  allow 
a  long  man,  straitened  out  with  such  responsibilities 
as  I  had  to  bear,  "  to  stretch  himself  on  it,  and  the 
covering  narrower  than  that  he  could  wrap  himself 
in  it ;"  and  now  an  un thought  of  alternative  began 
to  stare  me  in  the  face,  more  dreadful  to  my  feelings 


336  CALIFOKNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

than  a  dozen  of  deaths.  Two  days  after  the  fire  a 
noble  band  of  San  Francisco  merchants  met  together 
"  on  'Change."  and  having  looked  over  the  facts  and 
figures  of  our  sinking  enterprise,  came  up  to  the 
question  of  relief  with  an  enthusiasm  and  generosity 
which  were  characteristic  of  merchant  princes.  Said 
they :  "  This  man  must  not  be  allowed  to  suffer.  We 
know  how  he  has  preached  here  five  times  a  Sab 
bath,  and  labored  day  and  night  for  the  improvement 
of  society  in  this  city  for  half  a  dozen  years,  and 
here  are  the  official  documents  to  show  that  he  never 
could  have  been  benefited  one  cent  by  this  enterprise, 
had  it  been  as  successful  as  was  contemplated ;  and 
now  to  allow  him  to  sink  under  its  unforeseen  and 
uncontrollable  reverses,  is  a  thing  to  which  we  will 
never  consent."  That  was  the  talk,  I  assure  you.  It 
came  like  the  voice  of  hope  to  a  drowning  man. 
They  accordingly  appointed  a  committee  of  four  of 
the  best  men  in  the  city,  in  my  opinion,  to  raise  by 
subscription  the  funds  necessary  to  rebuild  and  carry 
our  enterprise  through.  That  committee,  after  meet 
ing  together,  and  looking  over  the  ground,  reported 
to  me  that  they  would  forthwith  raise  ten  thousand 
dollars,  and  then  stand  by  and  see  that  I  should  not 
suffer.  A  mountain  was  rolled  off  my  heart,  and  I 
returned  home  that  day,  feeling  like  a  man  just  con 
verted  and  saved  from  impending  perdition.  But 
my  rejoicing  was  of  short  continuance ;  for  only  two 


BIT    OF    EXPERIENCE.  337 

days  after  that,  before  my  committee  could  com 
mence  their  work,  Page,  Bacon,  and  Co.'s  bank,  and 
immediately  Adams  and  Co.'s  bank,  with  their 
branches  throughout  the  state,  banks  of  world-wide 
celebrity  and  unquestioned  solvency,  went  down 
with  a  crash,  followed  by  a  train  of  banking 
institutions  and  business  firms,  till  the  panic  arose 
and  swept  through  the  state  like  a  hurricane  in  a 
forest. 

My  friends,  by  the  hundred,  and  most  of  my  trus 
tees,  were  thrown  into  tangled  prostration,  and  buried 
in  the  common  ruin.  The  few  friends  who  were  left 
were  like  the  standing  oaks  in  the  forest  after  the 
fury  of  the  tornado  has  passed,  scathed,  peeled,  and 
slivered,  holding  their  position  firmly,  but  having 
no  sap  to  spare  for  their  dying  neighbors.  So  I  was 
now  caught  in  what  a  Californian  would  call  "  a 
very  bad  snap,"  and  how  to  get  out  was  the  ques 
tion.  My  committee  and  a  few  others  did  nobly; 
but  after  a  few  desperate  struggles  we  had  to  suc 
cumb.  Everything  was  surrendered  but  the  church, 
without  a  lot  to  stand  on ;  and  I  went  up  to  confer 
ence  with  a  full  exhibit  of  the  facts  and  figures  from 
the  commencement,  which  were  examined  by  that 
body  of  ministers  and  pronounced  correct;  but  the 
unanticipated  extraordinary  reverses  had  swept  the 
board,  pay  day  had  come,  and  there  was  nothing  in 
the  "  locker,"  Those  California  preachers  are,  upon 

20 


338  CALIFOK]$TA   LIFE   ILLUSTEATED. 

the  whole,  as  noble  a  set  of  fellows,  in  my  opinion,  as 
the  Lord  ever  made,  and  they  would  have  footed  the 
bill  and  helped  me  right  up  if  it  had  been  possible ; 
but  it  should  be  remembered,  that  in  the  space  of 
half  a  dozen  years  we  had  supplied,  at  an  enormous 
expense,  exceeding  that  of  any  other  new  country, 
about  fifty  circuits  and  stations  with  churches  and 
parsonages;  and  though  we  had  gone  as  strictly  as 
seemed  practicable,  on  the  principle  of  "pay  as  ye 
go,"  we  were,  nevetheless,  nearly  everywhere  more 
or  less  behind,  and  all  suffering  from  the  general 
panic,  so  that  nearly  every  preacher  came  to  con 
ference  with  a  church  or  parsonage  on  his  back,  or 
a  crushing  weight  of  reponsibility  on  behalf  of  "  our 
paper"  and  university,  and  each  wondering  how 
upon  earth  he  was  going  to  get  rid  of  his  burden. 
We  were  like  a  set  of  shipwrecked  mariners,  each 
cast  forth  on  a  broken  fragment  of  the  wreck  to 
drift  or  paddle  ashore  as  best  he  could;  and  all 
we  were  able  to  say  as  we  floated  near  each  other 
was,  "The  Lord"  bless  you,  my  brother!  I  hope 
you'll  get  ashore.  I'm  sorry  I  can't  help  you." 
They  passed  a  list  of  resolutions  of  confidence  and 
condolence  on  my  behalf,  very  good  in  their  place, 
but  they  would  not  pay  any  debts.  The  report  of 
the  "  Committee  on  the  Bethel,"  which  was  adopted 
by  the  conference,  closes  with  the  following  preamble 
and  resolution,  a  certified  copy  of  which  I  have : 


BIT   OF   EXPERIENCE.  339 

"  Whereas  the  Rev.  William  Taylor,  at  the  request 
of  the  trustees  of  the  Seamen's  Bethel,  assumed 
heavy  personal  liabilities  for  the  Bethel  enter 
prise  ;  and  Whereas  this  conference,  at  its  session  in 
Sacramento  City,  1854,  did  give  their  sanction  to 
the  Bethel  enterprise  and  said  arrangement ;  and 
Whereas,  by  fire  and  depreciation  of  property,  the 
enterprise  financially  failed,  and  involved  Brother 
Taylor  to  an  amount  above  assets  of  twenty-two 
thousand  fifteen  dollars  and  thirty-five  cents;  there 
fore, 

"  JResolved,  That  we  deeply  sympathize  with 
Brother  Taylor  in  said  involvement,  and  regret  that 
it  is  not  in  our  power,  personally,  to  assist  him. 

(Signed)          "  ISAAC  OWEN,     "1 

"  JOHN  DANIEL, 

uir  n  ~n  f  Oommtftee." 

"  M.  C.  BRIGGS, 

"  G.  S.  PHILLIPS.  J 

Now,  what  was  a  poor  Methodist  preacher  to  do 
in  such  a  case  as  that  ?  Must  I  be  sacrificed  on  the 
altar  of  my  devotion  to  the  cause  of  God  and 
humanity,  and  go  down  into  the  dark  sea  of  bank 
ruptcy  without  hope,  or  fall  back  on  my  own  re 
sources,  and  say,  It  shall  be  settled?  I  chose  the 
latter  alternative.  And  my  resources,  what  were 
they?  What  little  property  I  had  was  dried  up  in 
the  general  depreciation,  so  as  not  to  avail  one  copper. 


340  CALIFORNIA    LIFE   ILLUSTRATED. 

My  resources  consisted  of  a  well-developed  physi 
cal  constitution,  six  feet  high,  and  a  heart  full  of  the 
love  of  Jesus,  and  Gospel  hope  and  faith.  With 
these  I  said  to  the  Conference :  "  Brethren,  I  am 
fully  persuaded  that  God,  in  permitting  this  train 
of  reverses  to  befall  our  Bethel  enterprise,  has 
higher  and  better  ends  in  view  than  our  pecuniary 
success,  which  he  will  bring  to  light  in  due  time; 
but  the  honor  of  the  cause  demands  that  at  some 
time  this  whole  business  be  satisfactorily  settled. 
However  great  the  mistake  in  running  any  risk  in 
the  premises,  the  Lord  knows  the  purity  of  the 
motives  underlying  the  whole  matter,  and  I  be 
lieve  he  will  in  mercy  permit  such  a  settlement; 
and  in  view  of  all  the  facts,  I  have  made  up  my 
mind  to  "face  the  music,"  trust  in  God,  and  settle 
it.  How  or  when  the  Lord  only  knows,  or  how 
much  he  will  enable  me  to  pa}7,  I  cannot  tell;  but 
enough  to  satisfy  all  parties  concerned  under  the 
circumstances,  and  vindicate  the  honor  of  his 
cause." 

In  the  midst  of  those  reverses  I  had,  for  the  first 
time  in  my  life,  an  attack  of  rheumatism,  which  kept 
me  in  doors  a  few  days;  and  being  unable  to  do 
anything  else,  I  tried  my  hand  in  writing  out  a  few 
death  scenes;  and  finding  that  my  pen  went  much 
easier  than  I  expected,  I  became  interested  and 
encouraged,  and  in  connection  with  my  regular 


BIT   OF    EXPERIENCE.  341 

pastoral  work,  I  found  in  a  few  weeks  that  I  had 
matter  enough  written  to  make  a  book. 

On  the  eve  of  the  session  of  conference  to  which  I 
have  referred,  it  struck  me  one  morning  that  I  ought 
to  go  to  New- York  and  publish  my  book,  and  it 
might  become  the  entering  wedge  toward  relieving 
my  embarrassments;  and  moreover,  that,  with  twelve 
years'  experience  in  street-preaching,  I  might  by  my 
example,  in  connection  with  my  book  on  that  sub 
ject,  enlist  the  sympathies  of  the  Church  more  fully 
on  behalf  of  the  ten  millions  of  outsiders  in  the 
United  States,  for  whom  there  are  no  church  accom 
modations.  The  more  I  thought  of  it,  the  more 
plausible  it  seemed ;  but  there  were  two  apparently 
insurmountable  difficulties  in  my  way.  First,  I  could 
not  leave  without  the  consent  of  my  conference,  and 
I  knew  they  had  no  men  to  spare ;  and  second,  I 
could  not  go  without  money  to  pay  my  passage. 
To  leave  my  family  would  cost  more  than  to  take 
them  with  me,  and  that  would  cost,  with  myself, 
about  seven  hundred  dollars ;  quite  an  item  for  a 
man  who  had  not  money  enough  to  take  him  fifty 
miles  to  conference  and  back.  But  when  I  started 
to  conference  I  submitted  the  matter  to  the  Lord 
in  this  way :  I  said  to  the  Lord,  that  if  it  were  his 
will  and  my  duty  to  go  East,  I  would  take  two  facts 
as  an  expression  of  his  will,  and  never  doubt.  The 


342  CALIFORNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

first  was  the  advance  of  the  passage  money,  and  sec- 
*ondly,  the  consent  of  my  conference. 

I  was  not  presumptuous  nor  enthusiastic ;  I  did  not 
expect  the  Lord  to  work  a  miracle,  or  anything  of 
that  sort,  for  my  accommodation ;  but  I  did  not  know 
of  a  friend  I  had  "  unbroke,"  to  whom  I  could  go 
for  the  money  ;  and  I  knew  that  it  was  a  law  in 
the  spiritual  kingdom,  not  to  send  a  man  to  wage  "  a 
warfare  at  his  own  charges."  At  any  rate  I  was 
willing  to  leave  the  case  in  the  hands  of  the  Lord, 
and  let  the  decision  of  the  question,  to  go  or  not,  turn 
on  those  two  conditions. 

Strange  as  it  may  appear,  without  solicitation,  and 
most  unexpectedly,  I  received  on  the  second  day  of 
the  session  of  conference,  the  following  note  from 
Judge  Haven,  a  noble,  high-minded  outsider,  who 
had  known  me  and  my  labors  from  the  commence 
ment: 

"SAN  FKANCISCO,  Aug.  26,  1856. 

"Mr  DEAR  BROTHER  TAYLOR, — The  Mail  Company 

will  take  you  and   family,  for  $675,  and  knock   off 

$375,  leaving  $300,  which  I  have  to-day  collected 

for  you,  so  .that  it  will  cost  you  nothing  to  get  home. 

"  Yours  truly,  J.  P.  HAVEN." 

I  read  it  and  said,  "  Thank  the  Lord  for  that ;  I 
think  I  see  in  that  an  important  link  in  the  chain 
of  Providence."  On  the  last  day  of  the  session 


BIT    OF   EXPEKIE^CE.  343 

I  informed  the  brethren  that  I  had  written  a  book; 
told  them  my  convictions  of  duty  in  regard  to  going,- 
East,  the  unexpected  supply  of  the  passage  money, 
etc. ;  so  the  conference  voted  me  leave  of  absence, 
which  was  sanctioned  by  the  presiding  bishop.  The 
conference  then  passed  the  following  preamble  and 
resolution  : 

"Whereas  the  Kev.  William  Taylor,  an  honored 
and  useful  member  of  this  body,  has  prepared 
materials  for  a  work,  to  publish  which  it  appears 
necessary  that  he  should  visit  the  Atlantic  states,  for 
which  purpose  he  has  obtained  leave  of  absence  from 
this  field  for  a  time,  therefore, 

"  Resolved,  That  the  Rev.  W.  Taylor  has  our  con 
fidence  and  sympathy,  our  commendations  and  our 
prayers,  and  he  shall    find    willing  hands  to  clasp 
him  and  warm  hearts  to  welcome  him  on  his  return. 
Signed,  "  M.  C.  BBIGGS, 

"E.  THOMAS, 
"  J.  D.  BLAIN." 

We  came  to  New- York  as  strangers  in  a  strange 
city,  in  which  the  high  rates  of  boarding  very  soon 
exhausted  our  little  stock  of  fimds ;  and  when  our  little 
California  boy  died  we  had  not  money  enough  to 
bury  him.  It  was  Christmas  day,  and  while  the 
multitudes  were  rejoicing  without,  I  sat  with  the 
partner  of  my  missionary  trials,  triumphs,  and 
reverses,  in  the  house  of  mourning ;  and  as  we  wept 


344  CALIEOKNIA    LIFE    ILLUSTKATED. 

over  our  dead,  she  inquired,  "  William,  how  much 
money  have  you  left  ?"  "  Two  dollars  and  seventy- 
five  cents ;  not  enough  to  buy  a  coffin  for  our  dear 
Willie."  But  we  knew  in  whom  we  had  believed, 
by  whom  we  had  never  been  forsaken  in  the  darkest 
storms  we  had  ever  seen.  We  looked  to  our  Father 
in  heaven,  and. he  sent  us  sympathizing  friends  in 
our  need.  A  good  brother  bought  us  a  coffin,  and 
hired  a  hack,  in  which  we  conveyed  our  boy  to  the 
house  of  the  dead,  and  thanked  God  for  comfort  in 
the  dark  days.  Then,  again,  when  I  tried  to  get  my 
book  through  the  press,  I  could  not  find  a  publishing 
house  that  would  touch  it  without  the  cash ;  a  thou 
sand  dollars  must  be  paid  as  soon  as  the  work  was 
done,  and  I  had  not  a  dollar  in  the  world ;  but  I 
made  a  contract  on  the  faith  that  the  Lord  would 
help  me  some  way ;  so  the  night  before  it  was 
necessary  to  close  the  contract,  up  turned  a  live  Cali- 
fornian,  a  merchant  prince,  who  knew  me  and  my 
cause,  and  said  he,  "  Go  ahead,  Taylor ;  I'll  back 
you;"  so  out  came  the  book.  While  getting  that 
book  through  the  press  it  struck  me  that  I  could 
write  a  better  one,  but  I  was  so  occupied  for  a  year 
after,  that  I  could  get  no  time  for  writing,  except  one 
week  in  Philadelphia,  last  summer,  having  but  six 
sermons  to  preach,  I  sat  down  and  wrote,  "  ADDRESS 
TO  YOUNG  AMERICA,  AND  A  WORD  TO  THE  OLD  FOLKS," 
a  little  book  which  is  selling  well,  and,  I  believe, 


BIT    OF    EXPEKIENCE.  345 

doing  good.  And  when  confined  last  fall  with 
small-pox,  isolated  from  society  as  utterly  as  if  I  had 
the  leprosy,  I  wrote  a  chapter  on  Social  life  in  Cali 
fornia  for  my  contemplated  book,  but  when  I  got  out 
I  immediately  went  to  work  in  the  great  revivals  of 
the  season.  I  assisted  in  conducting  some  heavy 
campaigns,  and  everywhere  had  glorious  victories, 
and  became  so  absorbed  in  the  great  business  of  soul- 
saving  that  I  got  quite  out  of  the  spirit,  and  about  out 
of  the  notion  of  writing  another  book,  and  had 
engagements  for  several  months  ahead ;  but  in  the 
midst  of  a  siege  in  Stamford,  Connecticut,  I  was  at 
tacked  with  rheumatism,  the  second  attack  of  my 
life,  but  much  more  severe  than  the  first.  I  was 
knocked  off  the  track  completely,  and  finding  myself 
incapable  of  field  work,  my  attention  was  again 
called  to  my  contemplated  book ;  so  when  the 
extreme  severity  of  the  rheumatic  shock  had  passed, 
I  went  to  writing,  and  now,  as  the  pains  are  leaving 
me,  I  am  finishing  my  last  chapter.  . 

In  regard  to  my  return  to  California,  I  have  only 
to  say,  that  I  expect  to  return  from  choice.  I  labor 
for  the  salvation  of  sinners  as  cheerfully  and  earnest 
ly  in  one  place  as  another,  but  my  family  are  home 
sick  to  get  back  to  California,  and  I  prefer  it  to  any 
other  country,  both  for  myself  and  for  my  boys,  and 
I  am  held  here  only  by  the  pressure  of  the  mission  for 
which  I  came.  I  travel  from  city  to  city,  and  have 


346  CALIFORNIA   LIFE   ILLUSTEATEL. 

no  home  for  my  family.  We  have  buried  one  boy,  as 
I  have  before  remarked,  since  our  sojourn  here ; 
nursed  another  last  spring  through  scarlet  fever; 
nursed  two  others  last  fall  through  small-pox,  self  and 
wife  down  with  varioloid  at  the  same  time  ;  so  we 
find  this  mode  of  itinerancy  anything  but  agreeable. 
"We  are,  nevertheless,  greatly  comforted  by  several 
considerations. 

First,  The  Lord  is  with  us  in  great  mercy,  and  has 
cheered  us  with  his  comforting  presence  during 
every  hour  of  our  reverses  and  afflictions,  and  has 
graciously  sanctified  them  all  to  our  spiritual  ad 
vancement. 

Secondly,  Though  absent  from  my  conference  and 
my  adopted  field  of  labor,  I  am,  nevertheless,  at 
work  in  the  vineyard  of  God,  preaching  regularly, 
in  doors  and  out,  except  during  the  periods  of  con 
finement  referred  to,  from  eight  to  twelve  sermons 
a  week,  and  have  had  the  happiness  of  seeing  many 
hundreds  of  souls  converted. 

In  the  third  place,  I  am  doing  more  for  the  relief 
of  my  needy  cause  than  I  can  hope  to  do  in  any 
circuit  or  station,  and  hence  feel  it  my  duty  to  work 
on  in  this  way  till  my  cause  is  relieved,  or  till  my 
duty  in  some  other  direction  is  clearly  indicated  in 
the  order  of  Providence.  If  I  had  a  few  "  kinsmen" 
here,  or  in  California,  who  could  redeem  their  brother, 
and  let  me  up  from  this  crushing  responsibility,  I 


CONCLUSION. 

would  be  free  at  once  to  go  into  the  regular  work  in 
California,  or  wherever  else  the  Lord  might  send  me. 
What  is  past  in  my  experience,  I  know ;  what  is  to 
come,  is  with  the  Lord  and  the  people.  I  believe  I 
am,  in  the  order  of  Providence,  through  a  train  of 
reverses,  well  ballasted,  and  am  ready,  most  unhesi 
tatingly,  to  respond  to  the  Lord's  call  for  any  voyage : 
"  Here  am  I,  send  me." 

It  was  my  design  in  this  book  to  finish  my  story 
in  regard  to  the  "  Book  Concern  of  the  Pacific ;"  to 
tell  of  the  California  Christian  Advocate,  its  life, 
death,  funeral  expenses  of  nine  thousand  dollars, 
and  its  resurrection  in  time  to  publish  to  the  world 
the  first  notice  of  its  own  death ;  in  short,  I  designed 
giving  specimen  exhibitions  of  missionary  life  in 
California,  from  the  commencement  down  to  the 
present  period.  I  also  designed  giving  life-takings 
of  individual  men  and  women,  personal  adventures, 
perils  by  sea  and  land;  well-authenticated  thrilling 
facts  and  real  scenes,  illustrating  California  life  in 
all  its  departments.  Also  some  account  of  ancient 
relics  of  history,  government  works,  charitable  insti 
tutions,  and  to  tell  of  the  natural  wonders  of  the  land 
— its  sublime  mountains,  crowned  with  crystal  and 
eternal  snow,  whose  tears  water  the  vales  in  summer 
heat ;  its  mineral  springs ;  its  streams  and  water 
falls;  Yohamite  Falls,  the  greatest  wonder  of  the 
kind  in  the  world,  leaping  from  mountain  heights 


348  CALIFORNIA   LIFE    ILLUSTRATED. 

four  times  the  distance  of  Niagara ;  its  giant  trees, 
the  largest,  I  have  no  doubt,  the  Lord  ever  built; 
and  especially  the  seasons,  perfect  transparence  and 
purity  of  the  atmosphere,  and  the  salubriousness  and 
variety  of  California  climate. 

But  my  book  is  full.  In  missionary  life  I  have  but 
briefly  illustrated  the  first  seven  months  coming 
under  my  own  observation.  I  have  only  "pros 
pected"  and  u  opened"  a  rich  historic  mine,  running 
through  a  period  of  more  than  seven  years,  which 
yet  remains  to  be  "  worked  out,"  besides  the  lateral 
"  drifts  "  to  which  I  have  just  referred. 

ISTow,  in  view  of  these  facts,  I  feel  inclined  to  add 
another  volume.  If  I  can  command  the  time,  and 
the  public  demand  will  justify  the  expense,  a  second 
volume  of  "  CALIFORNIA  LIFE  ILLUSTRATED  "  shall  be 
forthcoming. 


THE    END. 


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